Wind Risk Increases for Waikato

A severe weather warning of strong winds for the Coromandel Peninsula and eastern Waikato, on the inland side of the Kaimai Ranges, has now been issued by MetService.

This emphasises the need for people to take care due to the wild weather, says Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group.

East to northeast winds in those areas are expected to gust to 120 kilometres an hour from this afternoon until Wednesday morning.

“People should take this wind advice into account when moving around, and also secure any items that could be blown away,” said Waikato Civil Defence programme manager Greg Ryan.

Mr Ryan also said that, as expected, heavy rain was affecting many parts of the wider region and this is expected to continue through till tomorrow.

“The heaviest downpours are due across the Coromandel Peninsula, accompanied by those gale east to northeast winds, from this afternoon.”

At the latest update, up to 100 millimetres had fallen on the peninsula, and MetService now expects another 100mm to 150mm. This is in line with earlier expectations but rainfall intensities could be higher than initially forecast, particularly overnight Tuesday.

MetService has also issued a severe weather watch for the rest of the wider region due to the potential for rain and wind to reach levels that may require formal warnings. This includes Taupo and Tongariro National Park.

Mr Ryan said the rain across the region had been patchy so far and there were no significant problems reported due to the weather.

“But people do need to be aware that these conditions are expected to persist for another day or two, and that there remains the potential for flooding and slips, along with road closures and power outages.

“We ask people to report any such problems to their local council or electricity supplier. Take particular care on the roads and be aware of the potential for hazardous driving conditions.”

For the latest rainfall and river level data visit:

http://waikatoregion.govt.nz/rainfall
http://waikatoregion.govt.nz/riverlevels

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