Cyclone Tam claimed this yacht that was moored in Northland’s Whangaroa Harbour, on Wednesday.
Photo: Supplied/ Harlan Cox
Forecasters are warning strong winds and heavy rain will intensify overnight into Thursday, as Cyclone Tam sweeps south to other regions.
The effects of the storm began to be felt in many places on Wednesday, with winds up to 130km/h measured at Cape Reinga. Strong gusts led to lanes on the Auckland Harbour Bridge being closed a number of times during Wednesday afternoon and evening.
MetService said it would be referring to the weather system – technically an Ex-Tropical Cyclone – as Cyclone Tam, to ensure the message was clear that this was a serious storm.
The centre of the weather system is expected to remain offshore, but extreme weather is still expected, with warnings and watches issued for many parts of the North Island and upper South Island. MetService meteorologist John Law urged people to stay up to date with changes.
Northlanders should expect more strong wind, heavy rain and high swells from Thursday morning, with the possibility of thunderstorms and “some really locally intense bursts of rainfall”, Law said. The system will then sweep south to Auckland.
Towards Friday, the storm will begin to arrive in regions like Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and the north of the South Island.
As many as 6400 properties were without power in Northland at one point on Wednesday, with Vector saying there were also outages in Auckland. Power companies warned people to prepare for further power cuts, particularly anyone who relied on powered medical equipment.
Northland Civil Defence also urged residents to prepare for the weather.
A yacht moored near Totara North in Whangaroa Harbour in Northland sunk on Wednesday. Northland harbourmaster Jim Lyle said it was not yet clear what caused the boat to sink, but he urged all boat owners to check their vessels, particularly for worn headlines, or blocked cockpit drains or failing bilge pumps.
RNZ is the statutory civil defence lifeline radio broadcaster and will be providing vital information and updates as they come to hand. Check out the frequencies here.
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