Widespread outages across the region
Strong winds and stormy conditions over the weekend have caused widespread power outages across Wellington and the South Island, leaving thousands of homes without electricity on Sunday.
According to NZ Herald, Radio New Zealand has reported that thousands of homes across Wellington and the South Island are without power this morning. The national grid owner, Transpower NZ, experienced a significant issue at lunchtime on Sunday, which cut supply to most of Southland for around an hour, as reported by the ODT.
The storm, which hit hardest on Sunday and continued through the afternoon, caused outages throughout Southland and parts of Otago, according to ODT. A meteorologist, Gerard Bellham of MetService, said severe gusts reached 168 km/h at Wellington's Mt Kaukau on Sunday morning, with strong, blustery winds hitting central parts of the country.
Estimates and utility reports
PowerNet's Operations General Manager, Geoff Thorburn, said the company from the storm and had crews out since early Sunday morning. He estimated that approximately 800 customers remain without power, with about 500 in Southland and 300 in Otago.
In Wellington, Wellington Electricity reported outages for more than 650 customers across the region, with restoration times of up to five hours. A powerline was also brought down on Treadwell Street in Lower Hutt, with police blocking off the hazard. Further north, Power Co reported almost 400 homes without power in the Wairarapa region and 200 in Manawatū.
In the South Island, Network Tasman advised that more than 300 homes in Tasman had been out since early Sunday morning. Marlborough Lines' outage map showed more than 700 homes had unplanned outages in the Marlborough, and Westpower reported almost 400 homes along the West Coast in places like Hokitika and Wahapo were without electricity.
Orion reported about 20 homes in Christchurch City had no power. Meanwhile, in the Wellington region, Wellington Electricity reported outages for more than 1,300 customers in Invercargill, Plimmerton, and Kaitoke, according to NZ Herald.
Airports and travel disruption
High winds also caused flight disruptions at Wellington Airport, which reported two flights were unable to land and two more were cancelled before takeoff. The airport said normal operations have since resumed.
A fallen tree closed SH60 south of Collingwood in Golden Bay for a period on Sunday morning, but the highway has since reopened.
Restoration efforts and weather reminders
Thorburn said everyone affected must continue to stay away from downed lines and reminded customers to stay safe. He confirmed that anyone affected by Transpower's outage will have had their electricity restored, unless they are dealing with weather-related damage to poles or lines. The company has called on those still without power to call 0800 808 587.
Thorburn also mentioned that lightning strikes in Southland can cause significant damage to electricity infrastructure, and repairs can take time.
MetService's Bellham noted that the weather front brought warm air from Australia, with Hawke's Bay and Napier expecting temperatures up to 21 degrees on Sunday against a typical maximum of 15. The warm spell follows a bout of "strong, blustery winds".