Strong wind continued to batter the Wellington region overnight, with more flights in and out of the capital cancelled this morning.
Nearly 30 flights in and out of Wellington were cancelled as strong winds buffeted the capital yesterday evening. The weather’s effects continued to be felt overnight.
A FENZ spokesperson said this morning: “Overnight, we received about half a dozen calls [in Wellington] due to roofs coming loose and building materials flapping around.
“However, the calls have started dying down,” the spokesperson added.
A Wellington Airport spokesperson said at about 9.05am: “12 flights in and out of Wellington have been cancelled this morning due to the weather.
“This follows 28 cancellations last night.
“Passengers are advised to check with their airlines for the latest flight information.”
An Air New Zealand spokesperson said 11 of the airline’s flights had been cancelled today due to the wind in Wellington.
“Our teams are monitoring conditions but flights are currently operating.
“We advise customers to keep an eye on the Air New Zealand app or the arrivals and departures page on our website.”
A KiwiRail spokesperson earlier said ferries were sailing as scheduled this morning.
And a Wellington Electricity spokesperson said: “There are outages in Ohariu, west of Johnsonville, caused by high winds.
“The forecast seems to indicate the high winds will ease by midday, but it is to soon to tell if there will be more outages.”
Watches, warnings across the country
More rough weather was expected in many parts of the country today and during the long weekend.
Orange heavy rain warnings were issued for the ranges of eastern Bay of Plenty and Gisborne from 9pm tomorrow to 9am Sunday; the Tasman District west of Motueka from 3pm today to 9pm tomorrow; Canterbury High Country from 9pm tonight to 9pm tomorrow; Tararua Range from 10am to 7pm today; and the Richmond and Bryant ranges, also the Rai Valley, from 3pm today to 9pm tomorrow.
An orange heavy snow warning was issued for Canterbury High Country south of the Rangitata River, also Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes District, from midnight tonight to midnight tomorrow night: “Expect 20 to 40 cm of snow to settle above 600 metres, with lesser amounts down to 400 metres.”
Heavy rain watches were issued for Mount Taranaki from 3pm to 9pm tomorrow; the Buller, Grey and Westland Districts north of Hokitika from 6pm tonight to 6pm tomorrow; Nelson/Tasman from Motueka eastwards from 3pm today to 9pm tomorrow; Queenstown Lakes District from 6am to midnight tomorrow; and North Otago and Dunedin from 9am to midnight tomorrow.
Strong wind watches were issued for Taranaki from 3pm to 11pm tomorrow; Taihape from 5pm tomorrow to 1am Sunday; Westland District from 5am tomorrow to 2am Sunday; and Fiordland from 8am tomorrow to 7am Sunday.
A number of road snowfall warnings were also in place across the South Island.