Power still out for thousands as lower North Island cleanup begins
Monday, 16 February 2026
Twenty‑four hours after severe weather struck the country, thousands of people remain without electricity — and some may not have power restored until Wednesday.
Wellington Electricity said 6000 households were still without power by 3pm Monday - 1000 of them around the city’s northern and western suburbs - after strong winds caused multiple faults across the network.
On Tuesday morning, there were about 3000 customers still without power, Wellington Electricity said. The company expects to restore power to most customers by Tuesday evening, but warned that those with single‑property faults may not have their power restored until the end of the week.
Powerco crews from across the North Island are also working to reconnect customers in Whanganui‑Rangitīkei, Manawatū‑Tararua and Wairarapa, where the weather caused extensive overnight damage. By 4.30pm Monday, power had been restored to about 11,000 customers, down from more than 25,000 without supply earlier in the day.
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On Tuesday, Powerco said there were about 8460 customers without power as of 6.45am.
Powerco Head of Network Operations Mark Dunn said the scale of the damage was severe and it could take days to get some people back on.
Gale‑force winds and driving rain hammered the capital overnight on Sunday, tearing off roofs, flattening fences and bringing down trees and power lines. Rising rivers and streams forced evacuations in several areas, while trains, planes and ferries were cancelled and many roads became impassable.
Fire and Emergency received 852 calls across the North Island between Sunday evening and Monday morning — 804 of them storm‑related. More than half came from Wellington as the system moved south.
Every part of the North Island except Northland reported storm damage or flooding.
Wellington was pounded by high winds, with Mt Kaukau and Wellington Airport measuring 193 km/h and 128 km/h, their strongest winds since June 2013 (when they reached 202 km/h and 143 km/h respectively).
The Kelburn weather station recorded its strongest winds from a southerly direction since June 2013 when a southerly wind of 141 km/h was measured.
The Baring Head Wave Buoy in Wellington Harbour recorded a significant wave height of 7.54 metres just after 11pm on Sunday. Both the Interislander and Bluebridge ferries were cancelled on Monday.
The worst of the wild weather may be behind us, but summer isn’t quite back on track.
It’s been a wet and windy 48 hours for much of the North Island, with severe weather toppling trees, flooding properties and leaving thousands without power.
While Wellington can still expect a little bit of rain on Tuesday, MetService meteorologist Braydon White says things are looking brighter.
“We are still going to have a few showers around, mostly in the morning, and there'll be a bit of cloud. But to be honest, compared to the rain we had [Monday], it's going to feel like a much better day.”
The “point of interest” on Tuesday will be the South Island, with places like Banks Peninsula and Northern Canterbury expecting downpours.
A heavy rain watch is in place for Dunedin and expected to stay in place for most of the day.
“It'll be considerably less severe than what we've seen over the last 48 hours. That said, these are places that aren't used to receiving huge amounts of rain,” said White.
“So it doesn't take a whole lot of rain for things like roads to be cut off or potential localised flooding. They are still watches and warnings to take seriously. But yeah, compared to what we've had, it's quite a different sort of situation.”
While summer has been on hold for much of the country, White said the weather was set to improve later in the week.
“ We're going to see lots of places in the low to mid 20s,” he said.
Hutt City Council crews spent Monday clearing debris, monitoring waterways and supporting residents after widespread flooding, including from the rising Waiwhetu Stream.
By late afternoon main routes had reopened, though new slips and fallen trees continued to be reported. At one stage 7000 properties were without power across Hutt Valley.
Across Wellington, fallen trees blocked roads from Kelburn to Thorndon, and contractors worked to clear debris from intersections and footpaths. Metlink suspended rail services before resuming a reduced timetable later in the day.
As of 2pm on Monday, the Ministry of Education was aware of 226 schools and 264 early learning services closed due to severe weather across parts of the North Island.
There were four schools and three ECE centres closed in Waikato, 17 schools and seven ECE centres closed in Hawke’s Bay and 137 schools and 174 ECE centres closed in Greater Wellington.
Lake Ferry cut off
In South Wairarapa, the small settlement of Lake Ferry was completely isolated on Monday afternoon after floodwaters covered all access roads. The Turanganui River spilled across the main road, while the Tauanui River burst its banks, inundating paddocks and forcing families on low‑lying land to evacuate to Pirinoa Hall.
Lake Ferry resident Vicky Prout said the community was surrounded by water and without power. “We are quite blocked off. It’s all flooded through the paddocks. The power went out last night and it’s still out,” she said. Her husband found parts of the Gateway Motel up to a metre under water.
“We are not panicking yet. If the lake starts flooding we will think about evacuating,” she said. Locals spent the morning checking on elderly neighbours and those without internet.
Elsewhere, states of emergency were declared in Manawatū, Ōtorohanga, Waipā, Tararua and Rangitīkei as the storm battered the lower North Island. Cape Turnagain recorded a 240 kphh gust early Monday, while Castlepoint reached 176 kphh. Near Cape Palliser, 274mm of rain fell in 24 hours.
Waikato district was also hammered during the weekend, with a beloved dad and keen fisherman found dead in his submerged car and a family forced to flee rising floodwaters.
In Wellington, Lyall Bay resident Stuart Mudd was woken at 5am on Monday by the sound of his brick boundary wall collapsing. “This was the worst I remember,” he said. “If that was an orange [warning], I’d like to know what a red is.” Neighbours arrived with gloves and tools to help clear the debris.
Another Lyall Parade homeowner said part of her roof peeled back in the early hours, forcing her family to turn off the power and move furniture as water poured in. “This is the first time I actually thought, this is a scary one,” she said