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Throughout this storm tempreatures are unprecedentally warm - in the mid-20's. I have never experienced anything like this in late March.
NZ:River carves new channel through hotel
Nearly
200 people have been evacuated on the West Coast, and trees have
brought down powerlines in Auckland, as wild weather lashes the
country.
Douglas
Drive at Franz Josef, just before daybreak today Photo: NZTA
24
March, 2016
Heavy
rain caused the Waiho River on the West Coast to breach its bank, the
upper North Island has been hit by strong winds and MetService said
the bad weather was expected to continue into the afternoon.
What you need to know
MetService
Severe Thunderstorm Watch includes #Auckland, has been expanded to include BOP & Hamilton http://zpr.io/h77d
A
local state of emergency was declared early this morning on the West
Coast, after flooding forced the evacuation of nearly 200 people in
Franz Josef.
The
chair of the Glacier Country Tourism Group, Rob Jewell, said 80 of
the tourists were staying in a welfare centre.
Ensuring
the welfare of the town's guests was key, he said.
The
Waiho River breached its bank near the town about 11.50pm last night.
Authorities
said 186 people were evacuated at different stages as the river first
made its way to the Scenic Circle Hotel, and moved towards the Top
Ten Holiday Park and the Westwood Lodge.
Flooding
on a road near Franz Josef today
Photo: NZTA
Westland
Civil Defence public information manager Andy Thompson told Morning
Report it was not a normal flooding, with the river potentially
creating a new channel through the area.
He
said the water was moving swiftly and cars were being tossed around
in the car park and the water supply has since been damaged.
In
some places there was no water at all, he said.
Mr
Thompson said the Red Cross was sending a welfare truck, and the area
would be assessed at first light.
Rain & gusty wind tomorrow morning in AKL & Hamilton. Morning rain in Nelson too http://www.metservice.com
7:35 PM - 23 Mar 2016Heavy
rain has also caused flooding in the Tasman District.
Nelson
Tasman Civil Defence said emergency services have helped some
households to evacuate flooded homes near the Riwaka River, which
burst its banks around dawn.
Duty
officer Roger Ball said more than a dozen Riwaka properties were
thought to be flooded but the extent of the damage was not yet known.
Flooding
on High St in Motueka Photo: RNZ /
Tracy Neal
He
said there had been between 250 and 350 milimetres of rain over the
hills during a short period of time.
Our
reporter in the district said flood waters were up to doorways but
there was no indication of where it was coming from.
Residents
in the area were seen this morning leaving homes with bags packed.
There
have also been reports of slips causing damage to property in Marahau
near the start of the Abel Tasman National Park track.
Flooding
in High Street in Motueka Photo: RNZ
/ Tracy Neal
Mr
Ball said there was water across properties and roads in the area.
The
flooding also caused the closure of State Highway 60 at Riwaka, and
between Upper Takaka and Collingwood.
Flooding
in Motueka Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
Further
north, almost 13,000 homes and businesses are without power around
Auckland because of stormy weather.
The
biggest affected areas have been around Warkworth in the north,
Waiheke Island and the eastern bays of the North Shore.
As
many as 18,000 people were without power at the peak of the problem.
A
Fire Service spokesperson said it had attended more than 130
emergency incidents around the Auckland region since bad weather hit
early this morning.
One
of the latest arcing power lines sparked a house fire in Wallath
Road, Onehunga, but it had been extinguished when they got there.
They
included clearing trees from roads or power lines, dealing with
arching powerlines and helping to secure roofs that were lifting.
There
had been no reports of injury.
WeatherWatch
analyst Philip Duncan said the overnight gales were not being caused
by a storm.
"It's
one of those rare cases where the winds can be blamed on a very large
high pressure system east of the country, rather than a storm or low
moving in".
State
Highway 16 west of Auckland is closed after a serious crash.
The
collision happened near Kumeu, with the road closed in both
directions.
The
Transport Agency says delays are likely.
Traffic
remains heavy across Auckland, after bad weather overnight and this
morning.
Strong
gusts of wind and lightning in the far north also left parts of the
region without power last night.
Top
Energy reported power outages and faults in the line between Towai
and Kaitaia.
The
company said on its message line last night that it was working to
get lines back up and running.
But
it warned the majority of the outages would not be fixed until this
morning.
If you are not aware of what a voice of denial sounds like this listen to this interaction
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