[ad_1]
A heavy storm is looming over New Zealand, bringing extreme weather across the country just before school holidays.
Your playlist will load after this announcement.
1 NEWS Meteorologist Dan Corbett has the weather watch for the weekend. Source: 1 NEWS
MetService has issued weather alerts across the country, warning of wind and rain potentially at the warning level.
1 Meteorologist Dan Corbett says people should be especially careful when driving.
“This could be quite significant,” he says.
“It could probably be the biggest and most widespread storm of the season.”
Special care is urged on Auckland’s Harbor Bridge, which is still undergoing repair after a truck crashed into a support beam last week.
Waka Kotahi / NZTA says the bridge can close completely if the wind is too strong.
In Auckland gusts of around 80 km / h to 100 km / h have been forecast, while on the country’s coasts they could reach 140 km / h.
Also in Auckland, Vector has put in additional staff this weekend in case of power outages.
“We encourage Aucklandites to do their best to prepare … and ensure that their devices and power banks are fully charged today,” says Marko Simunac, Head of Network Field Services.
“Although our crews are trained to work in all weather conditions and at any time, there may be circumstances where it is unsafe for them to start or continue working to fix outages, for example during high winds.
“We also want to remind the public to stay away from any damaged electrical equipment and report it to our outage center.”
Corbett says the stormy weather will “blow us away.”
“It’s as if Mother Nature is packing everything up: damaging winds, heavy flooding, rain, and some snow.”
Wellington faces potentially damaging winds that last into the early hours of Sunday, while snow is forecast at low levels in parts of the South Island.
“Sunday is going to be a bit of a gross day to travel, plan your trip accordingly or it might take a while,” Corbett says.
“If you are packing for a trip, pack some warm layers because it will be very cold on Monday and Tuesday with some frost, but it will literally calm down in the middle of the week.”
MetService says it will update its weekend weather alerts and alerts on its website.
