High winds have caused closures on the Auckland Harbour Bridge on Saturday Photo: Waka Kotahi
Wild weather has hit the upper North Island, closing the Auckland Harbour Bridge several times and cutting power in some regions.
PowerCo said on Saturday night about 4000 properties across Taranaki, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty were without power.
Outages were reported at Muriwai, Woodhill Forest, Tapora, Mangawhai and Waitetuna in Waikato. Though by 9.30pm Saturday, some localised outages in Auckland's east had been restored.
MetService has put out an orange wind warning for Gisborne and Hawke's Bay overnight from Saturday into Sunday, with gusts forecast to reach 120km an hour, which could damage trees and powerlines and make driving hazardous.
And heavy rain watches were in place for Saturday into Sunday for Bay of Plenty, Tongariro National Park, Mt Taranaki, Taihape, Whanganui and Manawatū, with the warning that rainfall could potentially approach the more hazardous orange warning volumes.
Strong wind watches lay across much of the North Island, warning of severe gusts in exposed areas.
Auckland Harbour Bridge was closed at least five times during Saturday as high winds swept across the city, with long periods of lane closures and temporary speed restrictions in place on the bridge when it was open.
And Waka Kotahi warned that the bridge could still close overnight if the high winds continued. They recommended drivers check their Journey Planner for up-to-date information about highway closures.
They issued a special caution to motorcycles and high-sided vehicles, and said instead of using the Auckland Harbour Bridge they should detour to the less exposed route via SH18/SH16 on the Western Ring Route.
Awakino in Waitomo District hit a peak wind speed for the North Island, with 120km per hour winds, followed by Manukau Heads at 111km an hour.
UPDATE 7:25PM
— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) May 20, 2023
All lanes on the bridge are now open with a temporary speed limit. Take extra care especially if you are in a lighter or high-sided vehicle. ^EH https://t.co/40xDbmCcEz pic.twitter.com/8XZu4fAMXZ
Strong winds had been expected for Northland till about 9pm on Saturday.
MetService said the gusty weather was expected to move south towards Waikato, Taranaki and Gisborne through the weekend.
Forecasters also issued an orange heavy rain warning for Tasman west of Motueka until mid-afternoon Saturday, with potential surface flooding and slips and peak falls up to 20mm an hour. The warning said the heavy rain could cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly and cause hazardous driving conditions.
Two hour rain radar loop
— MetService (@MetService) May 19, 2023
Heavy rain has been recorded in the west of the Tasman District - an Orange Heavy Rain Warning is in place there.
Watches and Warnings will be updated mid-morning: https://t.co/qHyE5zzql5 pic.twitter.com/ifoVeqNQy1
