MetService has this evening downgraded a red strong wind warning for Wellington to orange, but says there could still be some strong gusts going into tomorrow.
The forecaster earlier today escalated its wind warning to the highest level - red - the first warning of that colour since flooding in Dunedin in October 2024, and a first red warning for wind in Wellington since the system's introduction 2019.
The revised orange warning is in place until 3am on Friday.
The winds forced the cancellation of all flights in and out of the capital for the rest of the day. A Wellington Airport spokesperson said there was one possible exception - a Qantas flight from Sydney, due to arrive around midnight might still go ahead.
A statement from Air New Zealand tonight said its team was still working through the impact of the disruption, and to see where they might be able to put on additional flights.
"Strong winds are forecast for tomorrow morning, which may mean further disruption, and customers are encouraged to keep checking their Air NZ app or website for updates."
In an update this evening MetService said winds were slowly easing, but there could still be severe gale southwesterlies gusting 120kmh in exposed places.
Meteorologist Surprise Mhlongo earlier said rain would persist throughout the day and overnight, he said. It was likely to be heaviest about midnight with about 7mmh forecast to fall.
The red warning came amid gale-force southerlies in the lower North Island today, the winds some of the strongest winds seen in the capital in a decade.
The warning included Wellington City, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt and Porirua.
MetService earlier said the severe gale southwesterlies with damaging gusts of 140kmh would peak this afternoon, especially about the south coast and exposed hilltops.
There was a possibility of "threat to life" from falling trees and other items and there could be significant disruption to transport and power supply. People should stay inside or seek shelter away from trees.
MetService's Mount Kaukau weather station in Wellington was no longer working after wind gusts of up to 150kmh.
Power has been cut to an estimated 1000 properties in the capital. Wellington Electricity has unplanned power outages in Hutt Central and Woburn, Eastbourne Wainuiomata and Wainuiomata Coast, and Ohariu.
Some workers and school pupils have been sent home.
Wellington Electricity this evening said some crews had been stood down for the night due to safety constraints and fatigue, and some outages were expected to last until tomorrow.
The company reported a high number of faults across the region caused by the severe weather, with trees and debris bringing down lines.
While power had been restored in some areas, new outages were occurring, and crews were prioritising faults that posed safety risks. Repairs to overhead lines might need to wait until conditions eased.
60th birthday trip 'down the drain'
A passenger at Wellington Airport was heading to Auckland with her husband to celebrate his 60th birthday.
Joanne Quinn said the celebration, which had been a surprise for her husband, had taken about eight months to plan. But on arriving at Wellington Airport the couple found they weren't going anywhere.
Quinn told an RNZ reporter at the scene they were unlikely to be able to get a flight today or tomorrow.
She said she had been planning the trip for the last six months and now the week long trip was "down the drain."
"[The airline] is saying it doesn't look like over the next couple of days they're going to be able to book flights to fly out of Wellington."
Ropeti said they hoped to get a refund through their insurance.
Meanwhile, Ashley Doyle was urgently flying to Auckland, as a family member had died.
He said to rebook another flight to Auckland was also triple the price of the fare he had paid. "It's really frustrating."
Ferries going nowhere
Cook Strait ferry crossings have been cancelled through to at least late on Friday afternoon because of the high swells.
Interislander has cancelled sailings through to 4pm on Friday between Wellington and Picton and 9pm between Picton and Wellington.
Bluebridge has cancelled all sailings through to Saturday morning.
Both ferry companies have scheduled additional sailings over the weekend to accommodate affected customers.
- additional reporting ODT Online
