Climate change events in New Zealand

It has been an incredibly warm winter. 

June was the warmest on record and we have already reported on the absense of snow on the Southern Alps. Canterbury's river (and therefore its agriculture) depends on this snow pack.

Here is a round-up of weather around the country (something you won't get from anywhere else)

Meanwhile here are just SOME of the extreme weather stories from earlier in 2014.

Warmest June ever recorded in NZ

It's now official - last month was the warmest June ever recorded in New Zealand.

NZ Herald,

3 July, 2014

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research this afternoon confirmed an "exceptionally warm start to winter", with dozens of climate stations also placing in the top four for the warmest June ever recorded.

Record high mean temperatures for the month were recorded at Kerikeri, Tauranga, Te Puke, Dunedin, Stratford, Wanganui, Westport, Hokitika, Haast, Ranfurly, Secretary Island and Whenuapai at Auckland.

The nationwide average temperature in June 2014 was 10.3C, surpassing the previous record for warmest June in 2003.

There had now been nine Junes since 1909 where the departure from average has been greater than 1.0C, and of those, five had occurred since the year 2000 and eight since the year 1970.

June last year was 0.4C above normal, but it came at the start of what was the warmest winter ever recorded in New Zealand.

Calculations by independent climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger had also shown last month's mean temperature came in at 10.3C.

When factoring in 24 stations across the country, the results were 9.8C making it warmest equal with 2003.

The warm month had been put down to a lack of southerly winds, with the equatorial Pacific Ocean remaining in a neutral ENSO-state -- meaning it was influenced by neither El Nino nor La Nina patterns.

"When you have a neutral weather pattern, everything gets thrown at you, but generally speaking, we are in a warmer trend," said analyst Philip Duncan of Weatherwatch.

"We are not really seeing a prolonged period of southerlies -- we are having prolonged periods of subtropical and Tasman sea air flows -- and that's the sole reason why it's so warm."

Dr Salinger said New Zealand was tracking at 0.4C above average for the first half of the year, and the warm trend showed no signs of changing over the coming months.

In in its outlook for the next three months, Niwa predicts above-average temperatures for all of the North Island, and average or above-average temperatures for the south.

Rainfall is predicted to be either normal or below normal for the west of the North Island and north of the South Island, and near normal for the rest of the country.

Soil moisture levels were expected to be either normal or above normal in the north and east of the North Island and east of the South Island, and equally likely to be normal in the west of the North Island and the north of the South Island.

Mild winter likely cause of cow deaths

Mild weather affecting swede crops could be behind the mystery illness killing Southland cows, a major forage crops supplier says.

the Southland Times,

15 September, 2014

Dairy cows have died while eating swede crops in Southland, prompting DairyNZ to issue an advisory.

PGG Wrightson Seeds, which supplies forage brassica products in New Zealand, has investigated the issue and believes Southland's mild winter this year is to blame.

Anecdotal comments indicated a similar "swede poisoning" occurred in Southland 45 years ago but this event had caught everyone by surprise.

"The mild winter and lush growth of leaf material on brassica crops, especially swedes, has caused problems where dairy cows have been introduced onto the late winter swedes after wintering on other types of crops," PGW Seeds general manager David Green said.

With extra swede leaf material available because of the unusually mild winter, it appeared some cows had consumed more leaf and less bulb than normal, Green said.

"Consuming more leaf, less bulb and less supplementary feeds during wet August conditions has combined to amplify risk factors that can cause liver disease."

While the company does not yet know the full extent of the problem, it understands between 30 and 50 farms and hundreds of cows are affected.

Most of the farms were in central and lowland Southland and the illnesses ranged from mild photosensitivity, increased susceptibility to infections and liver damage, through to death.

Initial reports from veterinary advisors suggested glucosinolate toxicity was the cause of the illness, Green said.

Glucosinolates are natural components occurring in many pungent plants, especially brassicas.

While small amounts are believed to be healthy, the use of glucosinolate-containing crops as a primary food source for animals could have negative effects.

Mild weather in Southland over winter meant there was more leaf and the bulb of the swede was less palatable, leading to higher ingestion of glucosinolates through the leaves, which contained much greater concentrations.

The main crop associated with the issue is the cultivar HT Swede, used widely throughout the lower South Island, but at least one other swede variety is involved.

There have been no reports of problems in other parts of the country with HT Swede, which means the weather and environmental conditions in Southland are likely to blame.

PGW Seeds was consulting with affected farmers, rural retail representatives and other rural professionals, Green said.

It has also been talking with DairyNZ and has engaged specialist veterinary advice, as well as producing a communication to retailers and resource material for vets.

Farmers noticing any signs or symptoms in their cows should immediately contact their vet for advice.

SYMPTOMS

• Weight loss. Down-cows that are unresponsive to normal metabolic intervention.
• Photosensitivity. Signs of this include: - cows seeking shade (if available) - reddening of the udder and skin damage to white skin areas - restlessness shown by skin twitching; flicking of ears and tail; irritability; and stomping.
• If symptoms appeared, animals should be removed from crop if possible and shade should be provided for any animal showing signs of photosensitivity.

There's a whole lot of context that's missing from this article.

June was the warmest on record in the country. The figures have not come out for July, but I would say it was one of the warmest in our history

Missing from New Zealand's Ski Slopes This Season? Snow!

The Remarkables ski area near Queenstown — one of few New Zealand ski areas that has been making snow the warmest start to winter ever recorded. Scientists said New Zealand’s glaciers and ice are melting at alarming rates due to climate change. (AP Photo/Richard Savoie)

Yahoo,

6 August, 2014

Winter has rolled into its third month in New Zealand, and Nick Jarman says he’s going stir crazy as he stares out at the driving rain on the small ski area he manages in the Southern Alps.

The Craigieburn Valley Ski Area is one of several areas that haven’t opened for a single day this season, and some fear there may not be enough snow to open at all this year — something Jarman says has never happened during his 30 years carving turns on the mountain’s slopes.

Ski operators throughout New Zealand are feeling the effects of the country’s warmest start to the Southern Hemisphere winter since record-keeping began in 1909. And while one bad season doesn’t prove a trend, it comes at a time when scientists say the country’s snow pack and glaciers are melting at an alarming rate due to climate change.

The country’s largest ski areas have managed to open only because they’ve invested in equipment to make their own snow, which they’ve been doing this year in unprecedented quantities. For now, at least, that’s helped protect the nation’s reputation as a winter play land, one that each year attracts more than 60,000 skiers and snowboarders from Australia alone from June to August when it is winter south of the equator.

At Queenstown’s Coronet Peak, 200 snow guns have been blazing day and night whenever the temperature dips a little below freezing. Those guns have turned enough water to fill 100 Olympic-size swimming pools into a white blanket that’s remained on the main trails even on days when some skiers have taken to wearing t-shirts.

But New Zealand also has a tradition of small ski areas that rely entirely on natural snow, and many are facing steep financial losses this year. Typically, the areas are run as nonprofits. They are kept open not only by tourist dollars but also from the work of enthusiastic volunteers. Operators of these areas say they can’t afford to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in snow-making equipment.

Jarman says Craigieburn employs about 10 staff but can only pay them once the area opens. He says it’s not just the ski areas that are suffering, but also the local ski rental stores, the gas stations, even the bakeries. He says he’s been refunding money to tourists who have booked ski and accommodation packages, and the season is putting a strain on Craigieburn’s finances.

"It’s going to be hard, really hard. We don’t have the extra money to spend on maintenance," he says. "We’re not living on caviar and salmon."

It’s a similar story at Mount Cheeseman Ski Area, which employs about 20 staff when there is snow, but which also hasn’t been able to open. Mountain manager Cam Lill says some of his staff, who come from abroad, are taking the opportunity to tour the country while others are earning money doing odd jobs

For those that don't already know the West coast of NZ's South Island is known as the place where it never stops raining

NZ: West Coast close to drought

The West Coast is close to being in an official drought, with almost no rain recorded in the region since the middle of August.

Radio NZ,

9 September, 2014

The MetService said the average monthly rainfall for August in the Hokitika area was about 180 millimetres.

But meteorologist Peter Little said since 15 August, Hokitika has only had 7mm of rain, compared with 110mm during the same period last year and almost 200mm two years ago.

He said there have been a lot of north-easterly and easterly flows over the country which have caused heavy rain in Northland and Auckland, but have sheltered the West Coast and made conditions very dry and sunny.

However, Mr Little said light rain was forecast for Wednesday and Thursday this week, with heavier rain predicted over the weekend.

Fed Farmers says dry spell mixed blessing

Federated Farmers says a 25 day dry spell on the West Coast has brought both positives and negatives for the region's farmers.

Federated Farmers spokesperson Katie Milne said the warm, dry weather meant dairy calves were being born in good conditions, and less supplementary feed was being needed for livestock. But she said frosts and a lack of rainfall were hampering grass growth.

Ms Milne said with rain forecast for later this week, relief was in sight.

Water running low

Wendy Harman lives in the dairy farming Kowhitirangi Valley near Hokitika and depends on rain to fill her water tank.

She said if she had not topped her supply up with some water from her neighbour a few days ago, her tanks would be empty - a situation she tries to avoid.

"Once the tanks run dry then you've got the pumps pumping flat out flat out sucking air, and you get air locks all through the lines, so you just try and nurse it through until you manage to get enough water to tide you over."

Winter weather in New Zealand 

My experience was that it was a much warmer-than-usual July, but the official figures don't quite bear that out

After a record breaking warm June, temperatures remained above average (0.51 to 1.20°C) in many parts of the country at the start of July. This warmth was short lived and a switch to a predominantly south-easterly flow brought cooler conditions to New Zealand which are more typical for this time of year. As a whole, mean temperatures for most parts of the country were in the near average range (within 0.5°C of average) for the month of July. Pockets of below average temperature (-1.20 to -0.51°C) were recorded in the districts of Waitomo and Ruapehu, whereas above average (0.51 to 1.20°C) temperatures were observed in southern Canterbury and Otago. The last day of July was particularly warm for eastern parts of the South Island where the combination of a north-westerly flow and the foehn effect brought the region some mid-winter warmth and set July daily maximum temperature records in several locations. The nation-wide average temperature in July 2014 was 8.2°C (0.3°C above the 1971-2000 July average from NIWA’s seven station temperature series which begins in 1909)[1].

It was an unusually sunny mid-winter winter in the North Island, with well above normal (>125%) or above normal (110-125%) sunshine recorded. The regions of Waikato and Bay of Plenty were particularly sunny with sunshine hours in excess of 125% recorded. Despite the rain in Northland, the region experienced many sunny days with above normal sunshine hours recorded for July as a whole. The South Island was also sunny for the most part with above normal sunshine (110-125%) hours recorded in the regions of Nelson, Marlborough, the West Coast, Otago and parts of Canterbury. Banks Peninsula, coastal Otago, the south coast of Southland and the district of Buller were not as bright and received below normal sunshine (75-89%).

http://www.niwa.co.nz/climate-summary-for-july-2014

In April there were major floods on the West Coast of the South Island, while the general situation was a lower snow pack on the Alps and a growing drought

NZ: Greymouth takes stock after storm

The extent of the damage done to Greymouth by Thursday's big storm is becoming clearer

RadioNZ,

19 April, 2014

Grey District mayor, Tony Kokshoorn, says the town's municipal band building was destroyed by the high winds, which also tore the roof off a shop and flattened a Greymouth airport hangar.

A member of the Greymouth Aero Club, Merv Ashby, says one hangar was completely flattened, four microlights inside it were torn to pieces and three fixed-wing planes were damaged.

Mr Ashby says one man managed to save his aircraft by tying it to his car.

Mr Kokshoorn says the Lions Club has donated $10,000 to help the 60 or so families whose houses were badly damaged, with some losing their roofs.

Greymouth's chief fire officer, Lee Swinburn, says many buildings will have to be replaced.

"There is going to have to be a lot of work done, obviously a lot of buildings will have to come down."

Mr Swinburn says the wind travelled down the valley in a damaging funnel-like effect similar to June 2012 when the worst-hit areas, Greymouth Blaketown and Cobden, also suffered storm damage.

Meanwhile, it's emerged that sharemilkers in Westland took generators from farm to farm to get cows milked during the storm.

The general manager of operations at Westland Milk Products Bernard May, says that with road access cut off and power out in many places, a tremendous community spirit helped to greatly reduce the impact on some farms.

Mr May says a few farmers were forced to dump milk but most milk was collected.

Welcome relief for some

Federated Farmers says the storm that has passed over the country may have broken the drought affecting some areas of the North Island.

The federation's adverse events spokesperson, Katie Milne, says some areas had enough rain for a turnaround in fortunes, but others did not get enough to recover from the drought before winter.

She says the parts that did get rain will still need more in the next 10 days.

Ms Milne says it's best if rain comes gently over a day or two, so the soil can gradually absorb the water.

South Island's main roads open

All major roads in the South Island are open, but motorists are advised to drive with caution. Slips are causing delays in many places.

The Transport Agency says the Takaka Hill Road in Tasman is down to one lane as road crews clear a slip.

State Highway 1 between Blenheim and Kaikoura is also down to one lane with several slips around Seddon and Ward.

On the West Coast, all roads are now open.

Traffic is being let through intermittently at the Karangarua Bridge on State Highway 6 between Fox Glacier and Haast which is being repaired after wind damage on Thursday.

Little River on Banks Peninsula.

Photo: Neil Brown

But on Banks Peninsula, State Highway 75 from Little River to Akaroa is still closed by slips.

Mayor Winston Gray said phone communications are coming back on after heavy rain damaged underground fibre optic cables.

Landlines and mobile communications have been out across the district since Friday, making it difficult to establish the impact of the storm.

In the North Island, torrential rain in Whakatane flooded several properties including the fire station.

The rain began about 6pm and the Whakatane River burst its banks at high tide, at about 9pm.

The Fire Service sent crews to about 50 call-outs on Friday night, including to houses along Alexander Avenue that were flooded when a stream burst its banks.

Deputy fire officer Malcolm Rowson said there was also severe flooding in Ohope and an extra fire engine was sent from Whakatane to help.

He said lightning and wind uprooted several trees, but the roads were now clear.

Meanwhile, MetService is warning Bay of Plenty and Rotorua residents to be aware of localised thunderstorms that could lead to flash floods and slips.

Driving conditions will be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility.

No power

Further north, hundreds of people spent the night without power.

Powerco, which operates across the North Island, says about 300 customers still don't have power on Saturday morning, but it hopes to restore supply to everyone by the end of the day.

Operations manager Phil Marsh said more than 200 personnel are working on repairs.

Top Energy in the Far North said late on Friday that electricity was back on for all but 50 of the 6000 customers whose power was out.

Farm damage compared to Bola

Storm damage to South Island farms over the past two days is being compared to that from Cyclone Bola in March 1988.

Bola killed three people and cost about $200 million when it hit the east coast of the North Island.

Jeanette Walker, a former farmer and Labour Party candidate for Kaikoura, said she has seen similarly severe damage to farms around Ward and Clarence, where entire hillsides have collapsed and fencelines have been destroyed.

''Whole hillsides have comes down,'' she said.

Ms Walker said farmers will need long-term Government assistance to recover.

June recorded record temperatures and then in July a weather pattern bringing storms to Northland became stuck for several days

Woman swept from tree 

near falls

Emergency services are scrambling to search for a woman who has been swept from a tree near Haruru Falls in Northland

NZ Herald,

12 July, 2014

Coastguard Northern Region spokeswoman Georgie Smith said they received a call from Northland Fire Service around 6.30am to assist in finding a woman who had been swept from a tree near the falls.

The Coastguard Bay Rescue vessel was searching the mouth of the Waitangi River for the woman, she said.

Conditions were treacherous, Ms Smith said.

"We were advised at 6.45am this morning by Northland Search and Rescue who requested our Coastguard rescue vessel called Bay Rescue - to start searching around the Waitangi River-mouth area," Coastguard Northern Region spokeswoman Georgie Smith said.

"We were told they were searching for a woman who had been swept away who had originally been reported [as being in] a tree up the Haruru Falls.

"Bay Rescue are working with Paihia Fire [Service] who we believe are on a jet ski and Northland SAR who are land based," Ms Smith said.

"Bay Rescue is unable to get under the bridge there due to high tide, large amounts of debris and flood waters, however they're continuing to search around the river-mouth.

"It's confirmed that they're searching for one person, but we believe there may be possibly four people in trouble."

Northern Fire Communications shift manager Paul Radden said they were assisting people at a property which had been flooded due to a burst river bank.

"I believe we've rescued one and there's one more to rescue."

Coastguard Northern Region spokeswoman Georgie Smith said the search was continuing from the missing woman.

"We understand that emergency services are also now trying to locate some small rubber dinghies with enough horsepower than can get up there where three or four people have been found clinging to a tree.

"At the moment, due to the current of the river and things like that, no one's been able to get to them - so they're just to work out how to do that."

The current is moving at about 30 knots, she said.

"It's pumping".

Westpac Rescue Helicopter was heading to the scene.

Power repair crews to use choppers, jet skis

Repair crews will use helicopters and jetskis to reach remote communities in Northland without power after more heavy rain caused widespread damage Friday and into Saturday morning..

.

Downstream from Whangarei Falls with picnic table under water bottom right.Photo: RNZ/ Lois Williams

The number of homes without power has now doubled to about 2000

More than 400 mms of rain has fallen in parts of Northland in recent days, with floods forcing people from their homes and closing roads.

Northpower spokesperson Steve McMillan said repair crews could be hampered by blocked roads and the threat of rising river levels.

Mr McMillan urged people with holiday homes in Northland to notify their power companies if their properties have no power.

Northland power lines company Top Energy, meanwhile, is reassuring people in isolated areas that it knows their power is off, and help is on the way.

The tiny rural settlements of Motatau, Matawaia and Opahi, south of Kawakawa, have had no electricity, phone or internet since Tuesday - and are also cut off by floods.

Peter Heath of Top Energy said the company wants those people to know it hasn't forgotten them.

"Our crews are working like mad to get your electricity back. I'd also say that we continue to get a lot of enquiries about customer welfare needs and we're emphasising that anyone needing shelter, heating food or water should contact the Far North District Council."

Mr Heath said the thousand customers still without power in the Far North are mainly in small clusters of 20 to 50 households.

The company said the majority of those are expected to be restored on Saturday with the rest back on by Monday.

In Whangarei and Kaipara, only about 250 customers were still waiting for reconnection on Friday night.

And the storm that's plagued Northland all week has done some serious damage to boats at Opua in the Bay of Islands.

Three have sunk; two are missing; one's fallen off its cradle at a local boatyard and one was smashed to pieces on the beach.

Meanwhile Northland rescue crews are searching for a woman swept from a tree above Haruru Falls near Waitangi.

Coastguard says it sent a boat to help with the land and sea search after it was alerted just before 7am Saturday.

Flooding hits Northland

Floodwaters at Otiria marae and surrounds on Friday.  Photo: Mike Butler

Five households have been evacuated in Northland over Friday and dozens of roads remain closed after intense rain caused widespread flooding across the region.

The families were evacuated from Oteria, near Moerewa.

Northland Civil defence spokesman Graham McDonald said the rain predicted for the region was accurate, however the high winds did not eventuate.

Emergency services will be assessing the damage at daybreak.

Meanwhile, more heavy rain and high winds are expected for Auckland on Saturday.

Vector said crews were called out to two outages in Oratia and Henderson Valley overnight but most were restored. Vector warns more bad weather could cause problems on Saturday.

Civil defence is warning that rising river levels could cause more problems.

Northland Civil Defence manager Graeme McDonald said more than 400 mms of rain has fallen in recent days, flooding many eastern parts of Northland.

He said emergency crews have had to wait till daylight to assess the damage but it won't be easy as there is damage to roads in the region.

Flooding on Otiria Road, Moerewa on Friday.

Tornados in mix as final surge of weather heads south

Northlanders are being urged to look out for one another, after another night of severe weather.

NZ Herald,

12 July, 2014

The final surge of strong winds and heavy rainfall has increased the risk of flooding and power outages.

About a thousand households have had no across Northland and Auckland, most of those affected are in the Far North.

Have you been affected? Send your story, photos or videos here.

Top Energy chief Russell Shaw says people need to contact Far North District Council, with any immediate Civil Defence concerns.

"We continue to receive inquiries about customer welfare needs and by that I mean shelter, heating, food and water."

To make matters worse, the electricity network has taken another hammering.

Mr Shaw says there are small rural pockets where it's been getting more difficult to restore power.

"There's maybe 20 or 30 customers in each of those pockets so we now have to go back to those and find out what the problems are for each one of those pockets and resolve it."

Far North sports fields are closed, and Northland farmers are being urged to move stock to higher ground.

Around a thousand properties in the Far North have been cut off overnight, but more damage is expected from the fierce overnight conditions.

About 200 homes to the north West of Auckland lost power shortly after 4am.

Vector expects to have them reconnected by around the middle of the morning.

MetService says a very active front is gradually working its way down from Northland, and will reach southern parts of Auckland by about 9am.

It's already dumped a lot of rain in parts of Northland, and will bring more as it heads south.

There's also the risk of a small tornado on the east coast, flash flooding, and slips.

For your information here are the weather charts for the southern hemisphere - 

If you go HERE you can see the forecast for the next few days

Those areas that were worst affected by the earthquake have been made practically uninhabitable in floods that were almost unheard of when I was growing up. I don't recall any floods in Christchurch when I was growing up there - still less 100 kph winds of the sort reported here

'Once-a-century' floods have followed on from 100 mph winds yesterday

Christchurch flooding a 'once-in-a-century event'

A cliff has collapsed at Lyttelton as stormy weather - described by the council as a one-in-a-century event - continues to batter the region.

NZ Herald,

5 March, 2014

A strong smell of fuel was been reported following the landslip, forcing a number of evacuations this afternoon.

Residents in Brittan Tce and Cressy Tce are being moved from their homes due to a suspected leak from fuel storage tanks at Lyttelton Port.

It follows a landslip in the area earlier today.

Emergency services are at the scene, after a concerned member of the public reported a strong smell of fuel coming from the direction of the fuel tanks around 1.50pm.

Cordons are in place and nearby residents are being evacuated to Lyttelton Main School.

Fire and Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority engineers are on scene to assess the situation, police said.

"There have been no reports of injuries to any one and there is no immediate threat to the public,'' police said in a statement.

More information is expected to be released later.

Meanwhile, Lyttelton residents are being asked to avoid Canterbury St in the town after a retaining wall was damaged causing water to flow into the street.

Evacuations are possible, Christchurch City Council said.

It follows a number of localised slips in the town, with council staff working with residents associations to find suitable accommodation for those who need it.

Lyttelton Tunnel, and its approached from both directions, are open to traffic.

Schools and roads throughout the Canterbury region have been closed by flooding while more than 4000 homes and businesses remain without power.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel and Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Gerry Brownlee hosted a media briefing at the council headquarters at 12.45pm.

The weather was calming and there was a sense that the water levels were receding, the mayor said.

She advised people again that they should stay at home if they could, and for family and friends to "look out for each other''.

Employers were asked to stagger the release from work for their employees to try and ease traffic congestion at peak times.

"That would help the city get through this,'' she said.

A welfare centre at Mairehau helped about a dozen people last night, Ms Dalziel said. An assessment would be made at 3.30pm to see if it was still required to stay open.

Staff were doorknocking to see if if residents were okay and geotechnical teams were "very carefully'' monitoring the Port Hills.

Mr Brownlee said Cantabs are "well and truly over these'' major natural events, but they had to deal with the aftereffects.

It was well documented that the topography of Christchurch has "dropped quite a bit'' and that had changed all of the flood modelling for the city.

One upside, albeit a small one, he said, was that the flood's experience would help them plan for the future.

Mr Brownlee said the flooding was "quite extraordinary'', and as a local who lived in the city his whole life, had never seen anything like it.

Asked if they had done enough to prepare for the event, Ms Dalziel said they had been preparing for a week.

At 5pm last night, the forecast was for a one-in-five-year event.

Now, they were looking at a once-in-100-years event.

"We couldn't have predicted the extent of rainfall which has occurred,'' the mayor said.

Ms Dalziel and Mr Brownlee were taking a tour of the city in 4WD vehicles ths afternoon.

A programme that had assisted vulnerable households with emergency repairs for earthquake damage will now be used to assist those affected by the flooding, Mr Brownlee said.

He travelled to the city to see how the Crown could help with the council-led response to the flooding.

He directed that the existing Winter Make It Right programme be made available to help those with housing issues that will need addressing but are not emergencies.

"People should continue to contact the emergency services in the first instance if they have urgent issues affecting them and their homes arising from the current weather event,'' Mr Brownlee said.

Where there are quake issues that have been made worse by the weather, or new issues that have arisen which are not urgent but need attention, people are urged to phone 0800 777 846.

Firefighters have attended more than 300 incidents in Canterbury since the southerly storm picked up yesterday morning, smashing windows, bringing down trees and power lines and lifting roofs.

Gale-force winds caused most of the damage yesterday morning, but by last night it was heavy rain causing most of the issues.

Surface flooding in the Richmond, St Albans and Mairehau areas had affected at least 50 homes overnight. A welfare centre was set up at Mairehau High School but only nine residents had needed to use it by this morning.

Christchurch City Council said a number of communities were isolated, including Sumner and parts of Banks Peninsula. Council staff and contractors were assessing the situation and would keep residents informed.

In Little River, a number of people have evacuated to the hall, where there has been no electricity since yesterday afternoon. A generator is being sent and welfare provisions delivered.

Water was being trucked into Little River and residents were asked to conserve water in Banks Peninsula.

Deon Swiggs™ @Swiggs

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Only in Christchurch. #chch #floods #yolo - This in Heathcote Valley 

12:46 PM - 5 Mar 2014

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Southern fire communications shift manager Andrew Norris said firefighters had received about 70 calls overnight and some 300 calls since the storm began.

"It's mainly confined to water damage now - we've had a lot of surface flooding and lots of leaking roofs and things like that. We've had crews from the Fire Service and Civil Defence teams out last night assisting occupants, putting tarps on roofs.

"Generally with the surface flooding there's not a lot we can do - it's just a matter of reassuring people and giving them advice."

Some homes were protected by sandbags while firefighters helped to evacuate three houses on Hulverstone Drive in New Brighton.

Firefighters also helped to remove several people from cars that got stuck in surface flooding overnight.

The occupants of one car, who were rescued about 5am, were sitting on the roof of the car when the fire crew arrived.

Police are urging motorists to be extremely cautious and to put off any unnecessary travel.

Acting Canterbury road policing manager Glenn Nalder said police had helped evacuate residents and rescue people stuck in cars. Patrols had also located vehicles floating in water on Barrington St.

Mr Nalder said police were continuing to help with road closures, slips and flooded houses across the city.

There had only been a handful of weather-related car crashes and no reports of weather-related injuries.

Police were not issuing a blanket warning to stay off the roads.

"But people should check with their places of work and other commitments, and if they do not need to travel then please - stay off the roads.

"If people are driving then extreme care is necessary. Slow down, increase your following distances and be aware that journeys will take a lot longer today in the current conditions. Try to avoid flooded areas and slow down if travelling through flooded roads."

Mr Nalder also urged people to check on neighbours, friends and family.

St John ambulance territory manager Blair Andrews said there had been no increase in emergency calls as a result of the bad weather, but challenging road conditions meant it was taking longer to respond to emergency calls.

Christchurch and Burwood Hospitals remain open today and all elective surgery and outpatient appointments are going ahead as planned.

However, patients have been advised to allow extra time to travel to hospital and find parking. Visitors are being asked to consider delaying their visits until later today, when the weather is forecast to ease.

The District Health Board said there may be some disruption to meals on wheels services, but staff were doing their best to get hot meals out for lunch.

Plunket said the storm had forced the cancellation of many appointments, which were being rescheduled. It advised parents to stay home if they did not need to leave.

Power company Orion said 4100 customers were still without power, mainly around Banks Peninsula but also in pockets of Christchurch and surrounding area.

While winds had eased, flooding, slips and water-logged ground in the hills had prevented access to some parts of the network, delaying repair work in some areas, including Banks Peninsula.

Orion said some substations may need to be turned off in Christchurch today due to rising floodwaters, which meant some outages were possible.

The storm was ongoing so Orion was unable to say when power would be restored.

"It is quite likely that some customers will be without power overnight tonight given the access issues. All available crews are working to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible."

Christchurch Airport remains open but travellers are urged to check their flight details.

Further north, Cook Strait ferries remain cancelled due to high winds this morning. A KiwiRail spokeswoman said Interislander sailings were hoped to resume this afternoon.

Christchurch City Council has warned floodwaters were likely to be contaminated and people should avoid contact, and wash hands and clothes that touch floodwaters.

Isolated issues with wastewater were expected and the council said unnecessary toilet flushing should be avoided.

Rubbish collections were continuing as normal but would be unlikely in many low-lying areas. The council said bins will have tipped over and spilled their contents, so contractors would clean up over the next few days.

Geotechnical engineers were checking the Port Hills following heavy rain.

Christchurch school closures:

• Aranui High School - closed

• Avonside Girls' High School - closed

• Beckenham School - closed

• Ferndale School - closed

• Hagley Community College - closed from midday, night classes cancelled

• Linwood College - closed

• Mairehau High School - closed

• Mairehau Primary School - closed

• Marian College - closed

• Opawa School - closed

• Phillipstown School - closed (updated)

• Redcliffs School - closed

• Riccarton High School - opened at 11am, students can wear mufti

• Rudolph Steiner School - closed

• Shirley Boys' High School - closed

• Shirley Intermediate - closed

• Shirley Primary School - closed

• St Thomas of Canterbury School - closed

Christchurch road closures:

• Smith Street

• New Brighton Road

• Woodham Road

• Avonside Drive/Wainoni Rd intersection

• Evans Pass Road

• Marine Parade

• Mount Batten St

• Maces Rd/Ruru Rd intersection

• McBrateneys/Gayhurt Road intersection

• Waterloo Road/Kissel St intersection

• Albert Street

• Barrington Street

• Durham Street North at Gloucester to Hereford Street

• SH75 - Hilltop Road through to Akaroa (Note: Akaroa is now isolated)

• Ruru Road at the corner of Maces

• Wakefield Avenue at Evans Pass Road

• Marine Parade at Mountbatten Street

• Owles Terrace - Seaview-Union

• Carrick Street

• Thornton Street

• Archer Street

• Harrison Street

• New Brighton from Queensbury Street to Avondale Road

• Aylesford Street, Hills-Westminster

• Avonside Drive between Wainoni Road and Torlesse

• Speight Street

• Flockton Street, Warrington Street-Westminister Street

• Fifield Terrace

• Locksley Avenue, Gayhurst-Glenarm

• Banks Avenue, Coopers- North Parade

• Hills Road Warrington-Warden

• Fitzgerald Ave north bound Kilmore-Cambridge

• Richardson Terrace Ferry-Opawa

• Clarendon Terrace - Radley-Opawa

• Aynsley Terrace - Opawa-Centaurus

• Smith Street

• Riverlaw Terrace

• Eastern Terrace

• Waimea Terrace

• Aldwins Road, Ferry-Linwood

• Canterbury Street, at Days Road

• Slater Street, Shirley-Warden

• Warrington Street, Hills-Barbadoes

• Squire Street

• Harrison Street

• Edward Avenue, Geraldine-Barbadoes

• Edgeware Road, Hill-Barbadoes

• Dyers Pass Road, Summit- Governors Bay

• Summit Road, Hilltop-Pigeon Bay Road

• Pigeon Bay Road

• Ensors Road south bound Ferry to Brougham

Severe gales lift roofs, cut power, fell trees

Christchurch Press,

4 March, 2014

Severe gales have closed the Gondola, lifted roofs off homes in Lyttelton and cut power to thousands of homes with forecasters warning more is to come.

MetService has issued a severe weather warning with strong southwest winds of up to 130kmh expected to hit Christchurch today.

The winds reached severe gale strength early this morning, prompting about a dozen calls to emergency services between 7am and 9am.

INCIDENTS INCLUDE

- A trampoline landed on power lines in Rocking Horse Rd, Southshore

- a tree has smashed through the CTV's office window on Wairakei Rd. No one was injured, said CTV head of news Jacqui Shrimpton. "I think everyone jumped out of their skin."

A Fire Service spokesman said many calls had come from Lyttelton area where roofs had been lifted off houses.

One person had also needed to be rescued when trees fell on their vehicle, bringing powerlines down at the same time.

The driver was not injured, but a caution approach had been needed because of the risk of electrocution from the downed powerlines, the spokesman said.

Lyttelton volunteer fire brigade chief Mark Buckley said firefighters in the port-side town had been dealing with reports of iron lifting off roofs and fallen trees.

A house on Bay View Pl, Cass Bay, also had its sunroom windows blown in by the gales.

Buckley said firefighters were preparing for a busy day.

"I'm picking things will get busier," he said.

GONDOLA CLOSES AFTER RECORD WINDS

The Christchurch Gondola would be closed all day after staff recorded winds of more than 160km at the top of the Port Hills.

Operations manager Mark Forster said gales reaching 163.1kmh were recorded at the summit at 10am, but no damage had been reported.

"It is the highest recorded speed we have had for many years," Forster said. "The big southerly's normally 120 to 130kmh, so 160 is pretty special."

The attraction was automatically closed whenever wind speeds exceeded 80kmh, which happened "two or three" times a year, he said.

FALLEN TREES CAUSE TRAFFIC CONGESTION

Fallen trees and localised flooding have disrupted traffic across the city.

- one lane is closed on Hereford St, between Fitzgerald Ave and Barbadoes St while workers remove a fallen tree.

- Owles Tce had been closed at Pages Rd this morning because of flooding.

- the main road between Lyttelton and Corsair Bay had been closed with a detour via Cressy Tce.

- a fallen tree caused difficulties on Memorial Ave earlier this morning

- reports of fallen branches in the Kaiapoi and Ohoka area

Meanwhile, two cars collided at the intersection of Innes Rd and Cranford St about 9am, but the crash was caused by one driver running a red light and was not weather-related, the spokeswoman said.

The NZ Transport Agency has also advised motorists to take care on State Highway 1 between Dunedin and Balclutha.

Strong winds meant extra care was required by motorcyclists and those driving caravans or other high-sided vehicles.

BANKS PENINSULA HOMES LOSE POWER

The strong winds also cut power to just over 1000 homes on Banks Peninsula about 7.15am.

Lines company Orion expected to have power restored to the affected homes in Akaroa, Flea Bay and Stony Bay within three hours.

Another fault this morning also cut power to 132 homes in Le Bons Bay and Takamatua for about two hours, while a third cut power to about 166 homes in the Duvauchelle area for about four hours.

Just under 50 homes in Doyleston, Irwell and Leeston were also hit by a power cut about 7.15am.

Orion expected to have power back on at those homes about 10.15am.

MetService forecaster John Law said a deep low off the south-east coast of the South Island would bring more heavy rain and strong winds to Banks Peninsula and Christchurch today.

Between 6am and 8am, Christchurch Airport had experienced wind gusts of about 80kmh, while Lyttelton had been hit by gusts of 119kmh.

"There's still more to come. The winds will be carrying on throughout the day, easing in the early hours of Wednesday."

The rain was expected to return about 2pm, but the worst would come tonight, with almost 20mm expected to fall over the city between 6pm and midnight.

A high of 13 degrees Celsius was forecast for Christchurch today, but the strong southwest winds meant it would feel "much colder".

Christchurch Airport remained open this morning, but staff were monitoring the strong winds "very closely", a spokeswoman said.

Flights were arriving and departing as normal, but passengers were advised to keep up-to-date by checking the airport's website and with their airlines.