Wild weather is lashing New Zealand on Sunday morning as the remnants of Cyclone Dovi strike the country.
What you need to know:
- MetService has issued 17 severe weather warnings throughout the North Island.
- Multiple roads are closed throughout New Zealand. Click here for a full list of road closures.
- Several evacuations have taken place in the Wellington region due to slips.
- There are power outages throughout the Northland and Auckland regions.
- Auckland's Harbour Bridge has now reopened after it was closed on Sunday morning.
- Motorists are being told to avoid non-essential travel.
These live updates have finished.
6pm - Here's an update from Waka Kotahi NZTA:
Waka Kotahi crews are beginning the task of repairing damaged roads across the country after working throughout the weekend to clear slips and re-open key state highway routes as soon as possible.
Waka Kotahi's national emergency response team leader Mark Owen says many road surfaces have been damaged by extensive rainfall, and drivers should slow down and take extra care as they are likely to encounter surface water, fallen branches and other residual debris as rain and strong winds continue to affect many parts of the country.
"Our crews will also be out in force getting stuck in to repair work to ensure highways remain safe – please comply with any temporary speed restrictions and other traffic management measures at our worksites. These restrictions are in place to keep workers and road users safe," he says.
"Driving conditions will remain hazardous in many areas for some time, with the risk of surface flooding, slips, tree branches or even power lines down on the road. The high winds from this weekend have wreaked havoc with utilities, and road lighting is likely to be non-operational on some parts of the state highway network for several hours. Please slow down and take extra care if you need to drive tonight or tomorrow."
Some roads remain closed, and lane closures or other restrictions are in place for many others. A full list of current state highway road closures and warnings can be found here.
Updates will continue to be provided as the situation unfolds on the Waka Kotahi Twitter account.
Information on weather warnings and watches is available from Metservice here.
5:20pm - Wainuiomata River was raging earlier on Sunday following heavy rain.
4:55pm - The Wellington Region Emergency Management Office has given an update on severe weather warnings in the region.
"The latest weather warning updates from MetService have been included below. Please note that all rain warnings have been cancelled, with strong wind warnings extended a little until 6pm," they said on Twitter.
Strong Wind Warning for Wellington - Orange
- Wellington and the Marlborough Sounds - 4pm Sunday to 6pm Sunday. Southerly gales gusting 120 km/h in exposed places.
Cancellations"
- Heavy Rain Warning for Wairarapa, Wellington - Orange
- Heavy Rain Warning for Kapiti-Horowhenua - Orange
- Heavy Rain Warning for Tararua, Kapiti-Horowhenua, Wairarapa - Orange
Strong Wind Warning for Tararua, Wairarapa - Orange 4pm Sunday to 6pm Sunday. Southwest gales gusting 120 km/h in exposed places, especially about the coast.
4:40pm - The Government is contributing $100,000 via a Mayoral Relief Fund to support Buller District residents most affected by the severe weather over the last fortnight, Minister for Emergency Management Kiri Allan announced today.
"It is still too early to know what the full costs of the damage from this event will be, but we want to ensure there is no delay in supporting those worst affected," Allan says.
"I know this latest flooding has been devastating for many people still trying to recover from last July's floods. It is another unwanted upheaval and there will be another challenging recovery ahead. Still, while our current focus is on the response, I can assure you we’re here for the long haul.
"The Government has been actively supporting the Buller District Council with its recovery following the July 2021 floods and we will continue to work to support them where we can and help the community get back to some normality as soon as possible."
Allan says this latest response has required "another massive effort" involving many people and agencies.
"I want to thank everyone involved – from friends and neighbours helping each other out to emergency crews on call throughout – you've done an absolutely fantastic job," Allan says.
"We know that the severe weather has had widespread impacts, not just in Westport but in communities across the district. This contribution will ensure the council can provide support to those most in need."
Earlier today Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor classified the severe weather as a medium-scale adverse event for the West Coast and top of the South Island, unlocking $200,000 of Government support for farmers and growers.
4:20pm - Fire and Emergency NZ says it is continuing to get lots of 111 calls related to today's wet weather.
Currently firefighters are responding to more than 300 calls across the country - the majority in Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, and Wellington.
Most of the calls are related to trees and power lines down.
4:05pm - Cyclone Dovi's extreme gales are moving eastwards, WeatherWatch says, and is now switching over to the eastern North Island and slowly easing on the western side.
Gale southerlies will continue sliding up the east coast before heading out to sea on Monday.
3:50pm - Here's a weather map from MetService on how Cyclone Dovi has brought wind and rain to many places across New Zealand.
3:35pm - MetService says the North Island will get colder temperatures on Monday as humid northerlies are replaced by cooler southwesterlies.
Temperatures over the South Island should be warmer than today.
3:20pm - Most Auckland train services are now running to timetable, AT says.
Minor delays and cancellations are still expected.
3:10pm - Buller District Council will implement a traffic control plan from tomorrow for the Karamea Highway that will allow escorted traffic to access and leave Karamea three times a day.
"Traffic over the Karamea Bluff will initially be allowed in convoys at set times, using the 'follow me' system. This is to control access through some one-lane sections of the hill on each side, ensure people's safety, and allow repair work to be carried out," says infrastructure delivery manager Eric de Boer says.
Vehicles will be escorted over the Karamea Bluff at 9am, 1pm, and 5pm from tomorrow onwards.
People who want to leave or access Karamea need to queue at the closure sites on both ends at these times.
The closure point on the south side of the bluff (Westport) is at the base of the bluffs near the Mokihinui bridge pullover bay. The closure point at the northern end (Karamea) is located near Lake Hanlon/Stone Kingdom/Kahurangi Heights area.
Traffic will be escorted to the other end with a stop mid-journey at Corbyvale to let traffic from the opposite direction safely pass.
Speed of the traffic during the 25km escort will be controlled by contractors. There are many single lane areas that traffic has to pass through and care needs to be taken.
This opportunity will only be open to traffic that is present at the closure sites at the set times.
People need to arrange their journey plans to coincide with the scheduled opening times and allow for potential delays during the 25km escort.
In an emergency situation road users need to contact staff at the closure points or call 111.
To inform the public, signage has been installed on State Highway 67 near the Pines Tavern as well as Mokihinui Lewis Street corner and the Little Wanganui bridge.
The section of the Karamea highway over the Karamea Bluff was severely damaged by slips triggered by heavy rain during the latest two weather events, which struck the Buller District over the past two weeks.
Road access to and from Karamea has been cut off since February 9.
WestReef staff and their contractors are currently working on removing about 30 large slips and they have widened several areas to allow escorted vehicles to safely pass through this most severely affected section of the highway.
2:55pm - Winds in Auckland have now eased below severe levels, MetService says.
2:45pm - With the Harbour Bridge now reopened, Waka Kotahi says drivers need to be cautious as they cross.
A maximum wind gust of 109km/h was recorded at the bridge at 10:45am, "well in excess" of the 90km/h threshold for safe use.
"We want to thanks motorists for their understanding and patience during this severe weather event. Closing the Harbour Bridge is not a decision we take lightly, but it was necessary in order to keep everyone safe today," says Waka Kotahi national emergency management team leader Mark Owen.
Waka Kotahi says it is continuing to work closely with MetService to monitor conditions.
Motorists should plan ahead by checking social media or their Journey Planner before heading out.
2:35pm - The Auckland Harbour Bridge is now fully open, Waka Kotahi NZTA says.
2:30pm - A father and son in Waikato had a lucky escape after a massive tree came down on their car while they were travelling at 100km/h.
Newshub reporter Karen Rutherford was travelling towards the pair on SH3 between Ohaupo and Te Awamutu when it happened.
She says Nigel Parkinson and son DJ escaped any injuries.
2:20pm - Air New Zealand says it has cancelled at least 100 flights as Cyclone Dovi causes significant disruption.
It says further cancellations could potentially arise throughout the day.
Air New Zealand adds that it is working through recovery flights for impacted customers.
"The airline strongly encourages those booked to travel on affected flights transfer their travel to another date by managing their booking online. Air New Zealand's contact centre is currently experiencing a high volume of calls contributing to longer wait times," it says.
"Customers booked to travel domestically today are advised to keep an eye on the Air New Zealand arrivals and departures page for the most up to date flight information. If travel is not urgent, customers can opt to hold their fares in credit. This can be done online."
Air New Zealand recommends customers subscribe to the airline's Travel Alert service to receive ongoing updates.
2:15pm - The Buller District Council emergency management says it remains on alert, even with Cyclone Devi expected to clear today.
Buller Deputy Mayor Sharon Roche says forecasts indicate that weather conditions should ease during the second half of today.
"Over the coming weeks, it's going to be important for the community to understand that clean-up and remediation work will take time," she says.
"Contractors have been working around the clock to repair faults and assess and plan for larger works after the weather has passed.
"It's been a wild ride for the community – we've had evacuations, flooding, slips, road closures, dump exposures, power outages and more. The resiliency of the community, contractors and emergency management teams has been put to the test."
Staff remain at the Buller Emergency Operations Centre and local contractors continue to assess and repair any damage to roads, power, and water.
One power line has been reported down near the old Seddonville Library. Buller Electricity Limited will work to repair this as soon as possible and people are asked to remain away from the area as the line may still be live. It has been coned off.
"There's been extensive damage to infrastructure across the district and it's going to take time to assess, plan and repair this damage," Roche says.
"The recovery phase of this event is likely to last weeks, even months, but we want to reassure the community that we're doing all we can to address areas that are most impacted."
2:05pm - WeatherWatch says damaging gusts are still possible in Auckland this afternoon, but peak winds should begin easing soon.
1:55pm - A hand-drawn map from a MetService meteorologist shows that Cyclone Dovi has come onshore just north of Taranaki.
1:50pm - Auckland ferry services will resume at 2pm.
All crossings were cancelled earlier on Sunday as a result of the bad weather.
1:40pm - Wellington Water says due to heavy rain and surface flooding, people are asked to avoid beaches in the region for the next 48 hours.
There will be signs advising people of this too.
1:27pm - Northland's Top Energy power authority says the worst of the winds have passed in the region and its crews were working to restore power.
"From 17,000 customers off at the peak of the storm, we are now down to just over 9000 customers still without power.
"We still have a lot of work to do to restore power to everyone. Some of you may unfortunately be without power until tomorrow.
"Thank you all for your patience as we work hard to get your power back on."
1:25pm - Below is some wind gust data from MetService in the hour to 1pm.
1:05pm - Waka Kotahi says the severe weather is also continuing to affect South Island roads.
"Crews are working to clear a slip which has closed SH1 between Kairkoura and Waipara," the agency said in a statement. "Waka Kotahi is aiming to re-open the road to a single lane by mid-afternoon.
"SH67 from Hector to Mokihinui and the local road Route 67 to Karamea also remain closed following slips."
12:50pm - The NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) is continuing to urge people to avoid non-essential travel.
"Our crews are working hard to clear slips and re-open roads as soon as possible but heavy rain and severe winds are still affecting many areas and we need flood waters to recede in some areas before damage can be assessed," NZTA national emergency response team leader Mark Owen says.
"Driving conditions are hazardous in many areas, with the risk of surface flooding, slips, falling tree branches or power lines coming down, and people should avoid all non-essential travel in these areas."
12:23pm - An update from forecaster WeatherWatch:
The centre of what was once a severe tropical cyclone is now falling apart over Waitomo in the western North Island.
While the centre of an ex-tropical storm is very different to a tropical storm, it is still the focal point for where severe weather circulates. The worst weather isn't actually over Waitomo, it's mainly a couple hundred kilometres to the north in Auckland (easing mid to late afternoon) and a few hundred kilometres to the south in Wellington (also should ease later today).
Auckland may still have stronger wind gusts between 12pm and 2pm with more power outages possible.
Southerly gales will later today and overnight tonight spread up the eastern North Island in coastal parts of Wairarapa, Hawke's Bay and up to about Mahia Peninsula.
Winds ease in most places across Monday.
12:16pm - Civil Defence is urging Kiwis to stay inside as Cyclone Dovi makes its way across the country.
12:10pm - Auckland Zoo has announced it has closed on Sunday due to the extreme weather.
11:55am - An update from Auckland power authority Vector on power outages in the region:
The impact on the electricity network overnight has been largely as expected, with strong wind gusts of over 150km/h, and a peak of around 20,000 customers without power overnight.
By early morning this number was reduced to around 3500 (in total, Auckland has around 580,000 electricity customers). As the storm continues, and the wind direction shifts and gust speed peaks, we will see further faults driven by the storm conditions, which is leaving more customers without power.
The number of customers experiencing outages will keep changing throughout the day.
11:53am - Below is a map of the power outages currently impacting the Northland region.
11:42am - The Government has declared an adverse event following severe flooding on the South Island's West Coast this week, allowing farmers as growers to access financial support.
"We're making $200,000 available for the local Rural Support Trusts and Mayoral Relief Funds to call on to help farmers and growers recover, with the majority on support efforts for the West Coast," Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor says.
"The Ministry for Primary Industries will work closely with sector groups and other agencies to continue monitoring the flood's impact.
"Floodwaters caused by two severe weather events in the space of a week have damaged infrastructure, farm buildings, and paddocks, left feed crops submerged and washed away bales of winter supplementary feed."
11:41am - An update from Waka Kotahi on the Auckland Harbour Bridge:
Waka Kotahi advises that the Auckland Harbour Bridge remains closed, with high winds continuing to affect the area.
Wind is currently gusting in excess of 105km/h on the bridge and is expected to increase before abating this afternoon.
11:37am - The Northern Region Health Coordination Centre (NRHCC) says many COVID-19 vaccination centres remain open in Auckland despite the severe weather.
"Many of our sites remain open, including Albany, Otara, Henderson and Tamaki," NRHCC clinical director Anthony Jordan says.
"Orewa and Mt Wellington vaccination centres which usually operate as drive-throughs, have moved to delivering vaccinations inside.
"There are around 100 pharmacies also open right across the city," Dr Jordan says.
11:30am - MetService says the wind is starting to pick up in other parts of the country - with Cook Strait recording 155km/h gusts before 11am.
11:13am - The latest from Auckland Transport on the Harbour Bridge closure:
Auckland Transport (AT) has been working closely with Waka Kotahi this morning as the decision was made to close the Auckland Harbour Bridge due to severe wind gusts.
The bridge will remain closed until wind speeds reduce to a safe level for the bridge to reopen - this might not be until early afternoon. The closure of the bridge means there are significant service disruptions for our AT Metro services between the North Shore and City Centre.
Our bus operators are putting in place their diversion plans but because of the length of the diversion through West Auckland, there will be substantial delays and service cancellations.
The services affected by these disruptions are the NX1, NX2, 82, 95B, 95C, 97B, 97R, 866, 923 and 966.
Some ferry services across Auckland are also affected by today's severe weather. Please check the Journey Planner on the AT Mobile app for the most up to date service information.
We're asking Aucklanders affected by these service disruptions to delay their travel plans if possible and to please be patient as our drivers and operators work to make the most of a challenging situation.
11am - Cyclone Dovi is currently near the west coast of north Taranaki, MetService says.
10:40am - NIWA says latest modelling shows the strong winds will begin ending on Sunday afternoon and into the evening.
10:18am - Below is the lower North Island's list of road closures:
- SH2 at Melling is CLOSED northbound due to large slip above the road. A geotechnical assessment is underway.
- SH58 is CLOSED due to a large slip.
- SH59 (old SH1) has surface water across Plimmerton roundabout – open with caution advised. SH59 is reduced to one lane at Mana due to a waste water issue
- SH53 (Wairarapa) is CLOSED at Waihenga Bridge due to rising river levels.
Manawatu-Whanganui
- SH1 is CLOSED at Marton (Calico Line) due to flooding.
- SH56 is CLOSED at Opiki due to floodway operation.
- The Pahiatua Track is open with speed restriction and traffic management in place due to a large tree down on the road. A closure is likely to allow the tree to be fully cleared.
10:15am - An update below from forecaster WeatherWatch:
Ex-tropical cyclone Dovi is about to make landfall in the North Island, somewhere around north Taranaki and Waitomo either late morning or around lunchtime today/Sunday.
This is bringing a damaging surge of westerlies into Auckland City and also parts of Waikato, Coromandel Peninsula and Northland until early to mid afternoon.
Meanwhile southerlies blast into Wellington, Cook Strait, Taranaki and maybe Whanganui. The southerly blast will later move up Wairarapa and coastal Hawke's Bay, as it started to ease on the western side and in Auckland.
10am - Motorists in badly impacted areas are being asked by the police to avoid non-essential travel.
"In Northland the wild weather brought down trees across the roads throughout the region with over 35 weather-related incidents reported to police overnight.
"This included a report of a tree falling and damaging a home in Kauri, Whangārei.
"With daylight today came further reports of weather-related issues including boats breaking free from their moorings at Russell and Opua.
"The greater Wellington area continues to experience weather-related problems with several reports of landslips affecting houses," police said in a statement.
Multiple roads are also closed in Wairarapa due to slips, police said.
"There is also localised flooding in streets throughout Masterton township," the statement said.
"Trees are down across some roads in Waikato.
"Police across the Central District (Taranaki, Manawatu) continue to receive calls for weather-related highway blockages and minor surface flooding."
Police said there has also been reports of flooding in the South Island - namely Marlborough and Canterbury.
"Canterbury is experiencing localised flooding and State Highway 1 between Kaikōura and Waipara is closed due to flooding and slips."
9:55am - Taranaki is expected to bear the brunt of Cyclone Dovi with heavy rain and strong wind warnings remaining in place until at least 3pm on Sunday.
MetService said heavy rain in the region may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly.
