Covering period of Thursday 1st - Friday 2nd May

MetService has issued a Red Warning for Winds in Wellington from 10am Thursday to 3am Friday. This is the first Red Warning issued for Wellington. MetService Red Warnings are reserved for the most extreme weather events where significant impact and disruption is expected.

Wind speeds have already reached at least 150 km/h in exceptionally exposed areas and 118 km/h elsewhere, with winds expected to peak early afternoon, with gusts of 140 km/h possible. The combined effects of heavy rain (the region is currently under an Orange Warning for Heavy Rain), high tides and large waves of 7 metres have the potential to exacerbate the impacts from the damaging gusts affecting the area. In addition, the unusual direction of these very strong winds – being from the southwest rather than the more common strong northerly winds, is also expected to increase the likelihood of wind-induced damage.

Impacts include falling trees and flying debris. Destructive winds is also expected to cause widespread damage including powerlines and roofs, with dangerous driving conditions and significant disruption to transport, communications, and power supply.

A Red Warning signifies that people need to act now as immediate action is required to protect people, animals and property from the impact of the weather. People are encouraged to stay indoors or seek sturdy shelter away from trees. Avoid travel if possible, and follow any advice from Civil Defence and other agencies.

This is the first Red Warning MetService has issued this year, and it’s the 16th Red Warning weather event since the highest alert level was introduced back in May 2019. Keep up to date with weather and warnings via metservice.com or our free MetService weather app.

MetService also now provides push notifications for Red Severe Weather Warnings via our app. More information can be found here about enabling them: https://about.metservice.com/our-company/ways-to-get-the-weather/weather-on-your-mobile/push-notifications/

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