Ferocious winds batter South, worse possibly to come

By Laine Priestley and Matthew Littlewood

Ferocious winds lashed the South yesterday, felling trees, tearing at roofs and leaving emergency crews scrambling to clear debris from roads, and the region is gearing up for another burst of severe weather on Thursday.

Slideshow: Weather deals a blow to South

A man living on a boat in Portobello Bay, near Dunedin, was rescued from the yacht as wind gusts that reached 180kmh nearby — the strongest gust recorded in the country yesterday — churned up Otago Harbour.

Dunedin Coastguard staff help a man from yacht Navita as it heaves at anchor in Portobello Bay. PHOTO: GERARD O’BRIEN

In Invercargill, Ascot Park Raceway suffered an estimated $250,000 damage when 18 empty horse stalls were lifted by the wind and dumped on the ground in the morning.

In Riverton, volunteer fire brigade Chief Fire Officer Jeremy Raines reported wind so strong firefighters struggled to stand up as they responded to call after call for wind-related incidents, including loose iron on several roofs.

Firefighters south of Oamaru attended 36 wind-related callouts between 6am and 4pm.

MetService said southerners should not expect a reprieve from the wind any time soon.

They warned most of the country was heading into a "fairly volatile-looking weather week", with Thursday looking particularly bad.

Invercargill’s Ascot Park Raceway sustained an estimated $250,000 worth of damage when 18 empty horse stalls were levelled by the wind. PHOTO: NINA TAPU

Southland Racing Club president Sean Bellew told the Otago Daily Times he was relieved neither horses nor humans were hurt when the stalls at Ascot Park Raceway were blown down.

"At the end of the day, it’s the people and the horses that matter," he said.

In Stedman Rd, Mosgiel, a shed at Young Brothers Posts lumberyard collapsed due to strong winds.

It was reported to emergency services about 10.30am.

A Young Brothers spokesman said there was nobody inside the shed at the time.

WorkSafe had been notified of the incident, and the shed would be fully demolished.

A man who lived in a yacht moored in Portobello Bay got a lift to shore from the Coastguard after the yacht, Navita, started lurching wildly.

The man, who is understood to have lived on the yacht for more than five years, was taken to shore about 2.20pm.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokesman said crews all over Dunedin and Mosgiel were kept very busy with trees falling on roads.

Contractors work to remove a tree that fell on a car parked outside the University of Otago Dental School. The tree snapped off at the ground. No-one was injured. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSON

Anzac Ave was closed from the intersection with Frederick St to St Andrew St after two trees blew over.

One fallen tree fractured a water main, and water flooded the road.

Another fallen tree blocked Three Mile Hill Rd for a time, and emergency services diverted traffic in Dukes Rd, Mosgiel, after a tree fell on to a powerline.

Power was out to hundreds of residents around the city at various points during the day, as well as in Roxburgh East in Central Otago.

Further north in Tekapo, a truck’s trailer was blown on to its side, closing State Highway8.

In Dunedin, Wakari resident Emma Shaw awoke to a never-before-seen trampoline parked up neatly in her backyard.

She said she had heard a deafening "bang" from outside her window.

"I looked out and saw it was a trampoline," she said.

Wakari resident Emma Shaw considers a new addition to her backyard. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH

In Souters St, Mosgiel, where at least three flyaway trampolines were reported, firefighters could be seen in front yards flipping trampolines over and weighing them down with large garden rocks.

Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren said high winds affected flights in and out of the South yesterday.

MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden said the highest gust — 180kmh — was recorded north of Dunedin at a weather radar in Silverpeaks, and was the strongest recorded in the country.

MetService head of weather news Heather Keats warned "an even more impactful weather system" was expected to hit on Thursday.

There could possibly be more warnings issued closer to the time.

"The potential is there for this to be a highly impactful event.

"Gale northwesterlies tied in with a very significant front and a deep low-pressure system to the far south of the country which will bring cold southwesterlies — Thursday will be a big day in the South."