​Severe weather warning – Update – 6.30pm, Sunday 15 February

Update at 11:45am, Monday 16 February

It looks like the worst of the weather has passed but we're encouraging everyone to stay home if they can, if you have to travel please take extra care. If you need support, call your neighbours or call us on 06 370 6300.

Road Closures: There are lots of roads blocked by fallen trees, check the list - we will continue to update this list as we get reports from the crews working to clear them. Please drive to the conditions and take care on the roads.

Power: Check the Powerco outage map for details of power cuts: https://outages.powerco.co.nz/

Service Changes:

- There will be no coastal rubbish collections Monday or Tuesday, this service will resume on Wednesday.

- The Trust House Recreation Centre is closed today.

- Hood Aerodrome is closed for the next 24 hours, expected to re-open Tuesday.

- QE Park, Archer Street Cemetery and Percey's Reserve are closed due to wind damage and we would urge the public to stay out of parks and green spaces while damage is assessed and dealt with.

We will update this alert with any new information. To get updates directly to your phone and make reports about damage, download the free Antenno app.

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Rain, wind, and swell warnings are in place throughout the Wairarapa through to tomorrow, and residents should be prepared for potentially severe impacts.

People living close to waterways with experience of flooding in the past should consider self-evacuating now in daylight.

Current forecasts are for rain from the weather front to impact most seriously the coastal hills, from Cape Palliser north, including Tuturumuri, Tora, Flat Point, Riversdale, Castlepoint, Tinui, and Mataikona. However, all rivers in Wairarapa are likely to be affected.

Big swells are also likely to exacerbate the impact of high tides.

The peak of the storm is likely to be between 9pm and 4am.

The combination of rain and wind raises the likelihood of road closures through slips and fallen trees.

In Martinborough, the Waihenga, Ponatahi, and Tuhitarata (also known as Kahutara) bridges are likely to closed due to high water levels expected around 4am.

Anyone needing guaranteed access to larger centres for medical or other important appointments tomorrow should consider taking steps today to travel in daylight to stay with friends or whānau before the height of the storm.

Unnecessary travel should be avoided.

• Be prepared for extended power cuts
• Be prepared with extra water stored at home
• Clear gutters and driveways/culverts to allow water to flow into drains.
• Metservice - Masterton Weather Forecast | MetService
• NZTA (roadclosures) - Highway conditions for Wellington | NZTA Journey Planner
• PowerCo re power outages - Outage Map
• Call 111 if there is a danger to life
• Report roading and slips to your District Council.

Keep up to date with weather updates via

Rain

Rainfall of 140-180mm over 12 hours is likely to be equivalent to serious storm events of the past, with a peak expected at around 9pm tonight.

Streams and rivers may rise rapidly. Surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions are possible.

Stock should be moved to higher ground.

Wind

From 6pm today (Sunday) to 9am tomorrow (Monday) severe gale southwesterlies up to 130 km/h in exposed places are forecast.

Damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures possible. Driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.

The Remutaka Hill road would be expected to be close if winds reach 130km/h in the area.

Swells

Swells are expected to reach 6.5-7m on the south and east coasts between 6pm today (Sunday) and 12 noon tomorrow (Monday).