MetService is warning of possible threats to life as an extreme weather system packing winds of up to 150kmh bears down on the country tomorrow.
The forecaster is warning of damaging gales and significant heavy rain for southern and central New Zealand, and this morning issued a raft of severe weather alerts, including rare red strong wind warnings for parts of Canterbury.
Northwesterly wind speeds of 150kmh are possible for exposed parts of the Canterbury high country, and 130kmh for the Canterbury Plains and Christchurch.
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell has declared a state of local emergency for the Canterbury region to assist in the response to the current severe weather.
The Minister signed the declaration at 3.24pm today, as new mayors were yet to be sworn in.
"The state of local emergency will ensure local Civil Defence have access to the emergency powers they need to respond and support emergency services during this event," he said.
Wild weather has already claimed a life this week. A man was killed when he was hit by a falling branch in Mt Victoria in Wellington yesterday.
The Canterbury District Commander for police, Superintendent Tony Hill, urged people to avoid any non-essential travel.
"Consider if you really need to leave home. You may need to adjust any travel plans you have made. Roads and highways are already impacted, and some roads may be closed.
"If you must travel, drive to the conditions and take extra care. High winds could damage trees, powerlines and insecure roofs, and make driving hazardous for all drivers, and especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists."
A fire ban is in place from now until Sunday for Canterbury, and Hill warned against starting outdoor fires for any reason. Police will investigate any suspicious fires and may prosecute those responsible.
MetService today said an active front, associated with a "significant deep low" to the south, would move over the country, bringing "a threat to life" from flying items and falling trees.
"Destructive winds will cause widespread damage including powerlines and roofs, with dangerous driving conditions and significant disruption to transport and power supply."
The red-level warning has been issued from 1am until 5pm on Thursday for the Canterbury high country; 10am-4pm for Christchurch and the Canterbury plains; and in the North Island, 8am-6pm for Wellington and Wairarapa south of Carterton.
The forecaster is urging people to stay indoors "or seek sturdy shelter away from trees. Avoid travel. Be ready for power and communication outages".
This is the fourth round of red warnings MetService has issued this year, and the 19th since the highest alert level was introduced back in May 2019.
A red warning was issued in collaboration with councils, emergency services, Civil Defence, and often resulted in a State of Emergency, MetService's head of weather, Heather Keats, said.
It warns of conditions that could cause massive disruption and damage, injury or death.
"The severe weather is likely to cause huge disruption and damage," Keats said.
Orange level strong wind warnings have also been issued for Otago, Southland and Stewart Island, and there are orange level heavy rain warnings for the headwaters of the Otago lakes and rivers, the headwaters of the Canterbury lakes and rivers, Westland and Fiordland.
MetService said there was a possibility that some of the orange warnings would be upgraded to red, and urged people to keep up to date with forecasts.
The forecast has prompted Fire and Emergency New Zealand to issue a total ban on outdoor fires and fireworks for Marlborough, Canterbury and South Canterbury from noon today.
In a statement, Fenz said the fire risk was extreme because of the ongoing high winds.
The ban covers the whole of Canterbury and South Canterbury, from the boundary with Marlborough (north of Kaikoura) to the Waitaki River, and will remain in place until 8am on Monday, October 27.
- Allied Media
