Weather: Heavy rain hits Auckland, strong winds may close harbor bridge, weather warning for upper North Island

There are severe weather advisories for parts of the North Island, including Auckland, where heavy rains and heavy gusts can cause the harbor bridge to close.

Gusts of up to 100km / h are forecast in exposed parts of Auckland, and things will start to pick up at 1pm and continue until 7pm

MetService is warning people that those winds have the potential to cause damage and some motorists are being told to avoid the bridge today.

“Strong gusts of wind can damage trees, power lines, and unsafe structures. Driving can be dangerous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.”

Auckland traffic chaos

Bad weather resulted in tough driving conditions across Auckland this afternoon, resulting in multiple breakdowns and accidents on the motorway network.

It occurs when the speed limit has been reduced to 70 km / h at the Harbor Bridge and authorities warn that they will close it at any time if the wind speed increases too much.

Large, high-sided vehicles, including trucks, and motorcyclists are told to avoid the bridge entirely and instead urged to use the alternate routes on state highways 16 and 18.

Andrea Williamson, manager of the Auckland system, says they are keeping a close eye on weather conditions.

Wind gusts are forecast to be even stronger later in the day, with winds expected to reach 100 km / h from 1 pm to 8 pm, before subsiding.

Williamson said earlier today: “We advise motorists to plan ahead and allow extra time for their trips.

“Drive according to conditions, stay in your lane when crossing the bridge, and stay within the speed limit.

“Safety is our priority and we will not hesitate to close the bridge if necessary.”

The announcement comes after abnormal winds on September 18 blew a truck into a bridge strut, causing damage and shutting down the bridge for several days as it was repaired.

Elsewhere, trains on the western line between Britomart and Kingsland have been canceled due to bad weather. AT advises customers to use Onehunga and Southern Line services to travel to Newmarket.

Meanwhile, special trains on the east line to Panmure were also canceled. Manukau’s normal services are still running.

Spotted waterspout

A heavy rain watch is also looming over Auckland, including Great Barrier Island, with periods of heavy rain forecast from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The public is cautioned that rainfall amounts (45mm to 55mm) may approach “warning criteria”.

MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris says that in the hour to 2 p.m., 8.3 mm of rain fell at the Whenuapai airport. Today there has been a total of 33.4 mm.

“The heaviest rain appears to have moved south of Whangarei and will continue to reach Auckland for the next two hours and then the Coromandel Peninsula and the Bay of Plenty before the end of the day.”

Elsewhere, on Papamoa Beach in Tauranga, a waterspout was spotted this morning.

Images of the phenomenon were captured by Tauranga Land Search and Rescue CEO Carl McOnie and shared on the MetService Twitter page.

The waterspout can be seen skimming the water and moving back and forth just below a large gray cloud.

“The risk of thunderstorms increases this afternoon, so there may be more funnels and some heavy rain,” the authority said.

Ferry services interrupted

Fullers has issued an alert to ferry users and is asking people to keep an eye on their website and app for updates.

“Please note that due to adverse weather conditions, there may be interruptions in our services.”

The alert is for all services: Auckland City, Bayswater, Beach Haven, Birkenhead, Coromandel, Devonport, Half Moon Bay, Hobsonville Point, Rangitoto Island, Stanley Bay and Waiheke Island.

For Gulf Harbor ferry passengers, a replacement bus service will run today due to bad weather conditions.

Replacement taxis were also provided for previous services.

A maximum temperature of 21 ° C is expected in the city of Sails today and a minimum of 17 ° C during the night.

There are heavy rain warnings for Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula, the Bay of Plenty west of Whakatāne and from Whakatāne eastward, and Westland south of Otirā.

Those in Northland can expect 60mm to 70mm of rain, especially in the east, from 8am to 4pm