by Cyclone Gabrielle has seen power cut to thousands of New Zealanders, cancelled flights, emergency response centres set up and warnings that the worst is still to come for many.
Northland Civil Defence on Monday morning said boats had been blown ashore, there had been flooding from storm surges, and wind gusts up to 140kph had been recorded.
The Thames and Coromandel area, which has been under emergency conditions for nearly all of 2023, is again in for heavy weather, as is Gisborne – again coming on the back of a devastating start to the year.
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NIWA principal scientist Chris Brandolino said rain – normally measured in millimetres – could reach up to half-a-metre in the ranges of Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay. Further south, the Tararua ranges in Wairarapa could get up to 200mm of rain as the cycle moved south.
Weatherwatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan said the worst was still to come from Cyclone Gabrielle with later Monday through to early Tuesday the most-intense for the upper North Island.
While part of the cyclone was tracking down New Zealand, the centre of the cyclone was still off land.
It was expected to deepen and intensify as it moved over Auckland and Coromandel.
“It is still going to deepen,” he said. “The storm is not finished.”
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While Auckland was grabbing the headlines, places such as Coromandel, Gisborne, and Hawke’s Bay were in for similar problems from intense rain and wind.
On Monday, MetService has the whole of the North Island on a severe weather warning for strong winds, with many centres under red and orange heavy rain warnings.
Head of Weather Communications Lisa Murray said extreme rain and wind were expected for many North Island regions. This would be accompanied by “phenomenal seas” along northern and eastern shores, and significant storm surge near, and slightly in advance of, the cyclone’s centre.
“While the system has been ‘downgraded’ from a tropical cyclone, this does not mean it has weakened in terms of impacts to New Zealand,” she said. “In fact, it is intensifying and spreading the strong wind and heavy rain across a wider area affecting the whole of the North Island in some way.”
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called for people to take the severe weather warnings seriously, follow local guidance, and said that lessons had been learnt from January’s Auckland floods.
The Government was ready for anything that Cyclone Gabrielle could bring, he said.
“While the system has been ‘downgraded’ from a tropical cyclone, this does not mean it has weakened in terms of impacts to New Zealand,” she said. “In fact, it is intensifying and spreading the strong wind and heavy rain across a wider area affecting the whole of the North Island in some way.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called for people to take the severe weather warnings seriously, follow local guidance, and said that lessons had been learnt from January’s Auckland floods.
The Government was ready for anything that Cyclone Gabrielle could bring, he said.
Strong winds are expected to hit parts of Northland, Coromandel and Auckland including Great Barrier Island, the hardest with wind speeds of between 120-140kmh.
On Sunday, strong winds also caused power outages to thousands across Northland, Waiheke Island, and Whangaparāoa.
In Northland, about 18,500 properties were without power by Monday morning and Northpower has warned residents that it may not be restored for several days, with severe winds making it impossible for contractors to safely repair the lines.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has also published advice for affected residents, telling them to eat food in the fridge first if the power goes out and to keep a supply of cash in case eftpos and ATM machines go down.
The Auckland Bridge was closed due to severe wind gusts on Sunday. It was open again on Monday but severe gusts meant it was down to reduced speeds with lane reductions in place, Waka Kotahi NZTA warned. Nearly all flights in and out of Auckland are delayed or cancelled, Auckland Airport’s website shows.
Kiwirail also cancelled all commuter rail services around Auckland from 8pm Sunday night until 3pm Monday afternoon at the latest to ensure the safety of staff and passengers.
Due to the late notice, rail replacement buses were unable to be organised, with commuters having to rely on regular scheduled buses.
Rail lines were also closed north of Marton until Monday 3pm, grinding all freight and passenger rail to a halt, including the Northern Explorer and the Te Huia service between Hamilton and Auckland.
Ferries around the Hauraki Gulf were cancelled too, including the Waiheke Island, Half Moon Bay, and Gulf Harbour services. Services such as Devonport, Birkenhead, and Bayswater were still running but under close observation.
Red heavy rain warnings have also been issued for Northland, Auckland, Tairāwhiti Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay, and Coromandel through until Tuesday. . The worst affected areas can expect 350-450mm of rain.
Orange rain warnings are also in place for Bay of Plenty, the rest of the east coast of the North Island, parts of the Marlborough including Kaikōura.
Waves of close to 11 metres were recorded near the Bay of Islands on Sunday with swells of up to 7 metres possible through to Tuesday morning.
School boards and principals have been left to make the decision about whether to close on Monday.
Auckland Council has closed all non-essential services on Monday and Tuesday, including libraries, community centres, early childhood education centres, and active recreation centres. Many staff in those facilities have been redirected to assist Civil Defence centres or evacuation centres.
Essential services such as cemeteries and contact centres remain open.
