Auckland weather watch: Crashes and fallen trees as gale force winds hit

Wednesday, 25 September 2019

Showers and strong winds are expected in Auckland on Wednesday.

A second blustery evening has kicked off in Auckland, as severe gales are expected across the region.

Have you witnessed any weather related incidents? Email aucklandnewsroom@stuff.co.nz.

Two crashes have plagued the Harbour Bridge since 6.30pm on Wednesday, with one car having 'spun out', possibly due to the wet and windy weather, a police spokeswoman said.

Earlier, the NZTA issued a strong wind warning for motorcycles and high-sided vehicles travelling over the bridge.

In Manurewa, a tree fell on a residential property on Hill St about 8pm, damaging a fence, a Fire and Emergency NZ spokeswoman said.

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MetService meteorologist Andy Best, said a strong wind watch had been issued for Auckland, along with northland, Great Barrier Island and Waikato from 3pm on Wednesday until 9am on Thursday.

Exposed areas would experience the worst of it, Best said, and anyone in or around Auckland's harbours should be prepared for rough weather.

'There's cold fronts moving north across the country, and west to southwest winds which may become severe gales in exposed places.

'It'll be blustery all around the harbours with gale force wind and boaties should remember to be aware and plan ahead for this,' Best said.

The wind and showers should ease on Thursday, Best said, to give way to a 'mainly fine day' on Friday.

While Auckland would be windy, Best said there should not be too much rain and the South Island would get more of the 'nasty weather'.

Coastguard search and rescue manager Daniel Pearce said the seas were expected to get rough as the day progressed, but at the moment it was 'pretty quiet out there'.

'Not too many people are out on the water today, or yesterday actually, we'd recommend that anyone who doesn't have to be out on the water today should stay in until it eases off around Friday or Saturday.'

Anyone out on the water should remember to wear a lifejacket, keep an eye on the forecast and ensure they have at least two waterproof forms of communication with them Pearce said.

Vector's Head of Network Field Services Marko Simunac said the lines company was monitoring the weather and crews were ready to respond to any power outages.

'As always, our objective is to do this quickly while ensuring the safety of our crews and the public.'

Strong wind gusts had the potential to damage power lines either directly, or indirectly by causing vegetation and debris to blow into lines, Simunac said.

'If the weather caused any power lines to come down, Vector would remotely shut down power to that area as a public safety precaution until crews arrive on site. Bad weather can mean this can sometimes take more time than usual.

'We remind people to stay away from damaged electrical equipment and report issues by phoning us on 0508 VECTOR.

'In the event that your power goes out, you can keep up to date with restoration work relevant to your specific address through our Outage Centre, available on vector.co.nz/outages.'