High winds batter Otago

Hundreds have experienced power cuts and flights have been grounded as high winds battered Otago.

 

Aurora Energy said at 1.20pm, it experienced a fault in the East Taieri area resulting from very high winds battering the region and a serious fire on Saddle Hill meant it could not safely get to its assets.

Aurora Energy advised residents in the following streets they should be prepared to be without power. They are: Coalstage Rd, Chainhill Rd, Saddle Hill Rd, Scurr Rd, McMasters Rd, Sproull Dr and Finny Rd.

It said as soon as the fire is brought under control, Delta crews would assess electrical supply assets, and where it is safe and practicable, service would be restored as soon as possible.

Some 170 homes in Berwick were also without power today.

Aurora Energy capability and risk manager Matt Ballard said after damage from Sunday's storms, Outram and Allanton customers continued to "be affected by interruptions to supply", but he power had been restored to "the majority of customers".

Mr Ballard said 400 Arrowtown homes recently got power back, and 1000 more homes in Central Otago regained power after a 20-minute disruption this morning.

Flights cancelled  

The high winds resulted in flights being cancelled at Dunedin and Queenstown airports.

A serious fire on Saddle Hill meant some passengers had to be transported by bus to Christchurch. 

 Dunedin Airport chief executive Richard Roberts said the first two flights scheduled to depart the city left this morning. The only arrival at the airport in the morning was a 50-seater plane.

The first flight to arrive in Dunedin in the afternoon was a Jetstar flight about 4.15pm.

Mr Roberts said he expected the flight schedule to return to normal tonight, because the weather was improving and a cold front was on the way.

Sixteen flights in and out of Queenstown airport had to be cancelled or diverted, with two sent to Invercargill and two to Christchurch. One flight from Auckland returned without landing.

Queenstown Airport spokeswoman Katherine Jolly said passengers on the diverted flights would usually be bussed back to Queenstown by the airline.

Airlines were "playing it by ear" in terms of cancellations, she said.

"They don't cancel all the flights because they see what happens with the weather."

For now, Queenstown flights later this afternoon were still scheduled to depart and arrive on schedule.

Strong gusts 

Wind gusts were forecast to get up to 48kmh in Dunedin and 33kmh in Queenstown today.

MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said the winds were caused by a "strong north-westerly front" moving up the country.

"The winds are just ahead of the front," she said.

The agency has a severe gale warning in effect for the eastern South Island, and Ms Murray said exposed and higher areas would be most affected by the gales.

Wind at MetService's monitoring station at Swampy Summit had reached 113kmh, she said.

The winds were expected to ease by this afternoon as the north-westerly front passed over Otago, but a strong south-westerly front would follow it, bringing "strong gales about the coast" along with it.

The south-westerly winds would be strong, but not as strong as the north-westerlies, she said.

 

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