Severe weather has hit parts of the South Island, with properties damaged in Clyde, and drivers urged to take care as strong winds buffeted Central Otago and Canterbury.
Extremely high winds battered the Clyde area on Friday morning, with multiple reports of property damage, including a garage being blown off its foundations, and power knocked out for a time.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said most of the damage was centred around the Central Otago town, with multiple callouts for roofs being lifting off buildings and windows being blown in.
Fairfax reported that a small tornado ripped through a backyard in Clyde, with resident Colleen Kitto saying it felt like her house was being hit by an earthquake as the twister hit.
MetService forecaster Cameron Coutts said gusts of just over 100km/h began in Alexandra just after 3am on Friday, with the strongest reaching 115km/h. The winds would begin dying down steadily from 1pm and the worst of it would be over by 3pm.
School in lockdown
Clyde Primary School pupils were kept indoors for most of Friday morning as the severe winds battered the town.
Principal Doug White said there was little disruption to learning, but staying indoors was the safest option for pupils while there were strong winds and debris flying around.
“We had the kids locked down in the classrooms while the wind was beating through. We’re used to weather events and the first priority is keeping the kids safe.”
Parents were kept informed of the situation by an app and via the school’s website, he said.
The weather had caused some minor damage around the school, he said, with fallen trees and fences, but the school was “relatively unscathed.”
Mr White said other damage around town included fallen trees near the golf course along with broken fences. “There will be a bit of cleaning up to do in Clyde.”
The local playcentre was shut after a neighbouring house looked set to lose its roof, he said.
Clyde resident Sue Laing said the roof of her father’s home in Newcastle St had blown off. That street and Dunstan St were closed due to the risk of trees falling.
Fire crews were also sent to callouts in Alexandra and a rolled vehicle near Cromwell.
Winds reaching almost 100km/h had also lead to the closure of Treble Cone and Cardrona ski fields on Friday.
Motorists warned to take care
Police urged motorists in Central Otago and Canterbury to take care in the windy conditions.
A downed tree was blocking the westbound lane at the intersection of State Highway 8 and Airport Rd near Alexandra.
There were strong wind warnings in the Tekapo-Twizel area on Friday.
Highways affected were: SH73 Springfield to Arthurs Pass and the Lewis Pass (SH7 Hanmer Springs turnoff to Springs Junction) Drivers with high-sided and light vehicles were advised to take extra care or delay travel if possible.
Camper vans were being advised to stop at Champagne Gully until the wind died down.
- Check highway conditions here
The Crown Range Road was closed on Friday morning due to a significant slip at Chain Bay 5, the Queenstown Lakes District Council advised.
The road was closed at the state highway turnoff on the Queenstown side and Cardrona on the Wanaka side. Motorists should go via State Highway 6 if they needed to get between Queenstown and Wanaka.
Snow and rain for parts of South
Snow was forecast to fall to 800 metres in eastern Otago over the weekend, but this was not expected to cause problems in the region's towns or roads at this stage.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council advised snow was expected to fall in the area to as low as 500 metres. It was expected to fall at skifields after lunch on Friday and a signficant dump was expected over the weekend.
Motorists were urged to keep snow chains in their vehicles, check the forecast and assess road conditions before they set off.
MetService said rain was expected over northern and western regions on Friday and Sunday, although the northwesterly winds would bring drier, warm conditions to eastern regions.
Fiordland, the Westland Ranges and the headwaters of the Canterbury and Otago lakes and rivers south of Arthur's Pass could expect up to 220mm of rain on Friday.
The drenching could lead to flash flooding, slips and make driving hazardous. The chilly weather was expected to last until Tuesday.
Strong winds in North Island
Wellington was under a strong wind warning on Friday, as another bout of bad weather hits.
Powerful northerly gales ramping up to 120km/h were expected to buffet central New Zealand from late on Friday morning and blast the region for up to 12 hours.
The gales were likely to topple trees and powerlines and damage buildings. Motorists were warned that driving could be hazardous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.
In Wellington, harbour ferry sailings have been suspended as conditions deteriorated. Civil Defence warned residents in the capital to secure anything likely to blow away.
Meanwhile, Gisborne and Hawke's Bay would continue to enjoy summer-like temperatures with the mercury expected to rise into the mid-20s.
However, the temperature was expected to drop on Sunday when a strong cold front sweeps across central and northern New Zealand, bringing yet more rain.
A reprieve between fronts should mean Saturday's rugby test between the All Blacks and South Africa in Auckland would be played in fine conditions.
- ODT reporters and NZME
