Strong winds hitting parts of the South have already resulted in damage to power lines in Central Otago with some houses expected to be without power overnight as a cold snap looms.
Aurora Energy confirmed this afternoon crews were working on repairs after strong winds had caused "significant" damage to power lines in and around Roxburgh, Ettrick and Clyde.
However, power was back on in Clyde, Roxburgh and Omakau.
"At this point, the outage is mostly affecting the Ettrick/Miller’s Flat, Raes Junction and surrounding rural areas.
"Currently, around 550 customers in this area are without power, with 419 of these in the Ettrick area."
Aurora said at this stage it expected power would need to remain off for some of those customers overnight tonight.
"This has been a significant weather event that has brought down trees and power lines. With a cold snap coming on, Aurora Energy urges residents to be prepared to be without power through the night, and possibly into the morning Wednesday as work continues to repair the infrastructure. "
Aurora was asking those affected to:
- Check on neighbours
- Ensure you have adequate food supplies, warm clothing and bedding, a torch, spare batteries and a battery radio.
- Ensure an alternative source for heating and cooking is available.
- Switch power appliances off at the wall to prevent damage when power is restored
- To report downed power lines or trees on your property or the roadside, please keep well clear of them, and contact Aurora Energy on 0800 22 00 05.
- Contact Aurora Energy with any concerns you may have about this situation.
From 6.30pm tonight, residents in the area affected by power outages can go to the Millers Flat Hall which can be used for warmth, tea, coffee, toilet, water and cooking facilities.
"This is intended to remain in place until all power is restored in this area.
"In these locations, it is more difficult for lines crews to ascertain and repair the damage to lines caused by high winds and debris earlier today.
"With snow forecast for Central Otago, Aurora Energy is working as fast as possible to repair lines safely, as conditions allow."
Heavy rain is causing surface flooding around the Queenstown Lakes district, as well as rockfalls and slips on the Crown Range Road, linking the resort town and Wanaka. And there's snow on the way for parts of Otago and Southland.
Coronet Peak, near Queenstown, has advised that it closed for the day, owing to gale-force westerlies hitting the slopes.
In a statement on social media the skifield said: "We have decided to close today due to weather. Fingers crossed for a powder day tomorrow."
MetService has a raft of weather watches in place ahead of a polar blast expected to move through from later today.
They include a strong wind watch for inland parts of Otago until 3pm tomorrow and for Fiordland and northern Southland until midday tomorrow. Severe northerly gales are forecast to hit the Canterbury High Country until 11pm today.
Strong winds have been reported around Roxburgh this morning. A Central Otago District Council contractor said there were "multiple reports of fallen trees, signs and other debris".
It said several roads in the area were closed because of fallen trees including Wright Rd and Woodhouse Rd. Crews were responding.
Caution was advised for motorists - in particular, driving along Roxburgh East Rd on the Roxburgh Dam wall due to debris blowing from the lake onto the road.
A tree that came down on State Highway 8 near Millers Flat late this morning, closing a section of road for a time, was cleared early this afternoon, the NZ Transport Agency said.
NZTA earlier advised that State Highway 6 near Lumsden was closed because of a fallen tree.
QUEENSTOWN FLOODING
Heavy rain is causing a lot of surface flooding around the Queenstown Lakes district today. Road users should take care on the Crown Range Road due to rockfalls and slips.
In a Facebook post this afternoon, the Queenstown Lakes District Council said the corner of Grant Rd right at the bend was closed just before midday for safety reasons.
The small creek at One Mile was overflowing, causing flooding at the bottom of the Fernhill roundabout.
Signage is in place along Lower Shotover Rd due to surface flooding.
Contractors have been sent to Cardrona after major surface flooding there was reported.
Meanwhile, a heavy rain warning is in place for for Fiordland until 2pm today, as well as the Westland Ranges and the headwaters of Canterbury and Otago until 10pm today.
SNOW FOR OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND
A heavy snow watch is in place for northern parts of Southland and southern parts of Otago down to 200 metres between 1am and 8am tomorrow, and a watch for southern Fiordland down to 200 metres from 11pm today until 6am tomorrow.
Snow is forecast to affect the Crown Range Road from 7pm today until 6am tomorrow. Some 4cm to 6cm may settle on the road near the summit, with lesser amounts to 500 metres.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council advised motorists to carry chains and plan for trips to take a little longer.
Some alpine passes will also be affected:
Lindis Pass (SH8): From 8pm today until 7am tomorrow, 5cm-8cm of snow may settle on the road near the summit, with lesser amounts to 500 metres.
Porters Pass (SH73): From 10am until 6pm tomorrow, snow showers are possible Up to 1cm of snow may settle on the road near the summit.
Milford Road (SH94): From 4am until 11am tomorrow, snow showers are likely during the morning and evening. Up to 2cm of snow may settle on the road near the tunnel for these periods, with lesser amounts to 400 metres.
