Red heavy rain warnings are in place for Northland and Gisborne, while orange warnings for heavy rain and strong winds are active for most other regions across the North Island. Full details can be found in the liveblog below.
Speed and lane restrictions have been placed on Auckland Harbour Bridge and power outages have been reported across parts of Northland and Auckland.
“Gabrielle has lost its tropical characteristics, this doesn’t mean it is weaker,” MetService said on Sunday morning. “It will be a very intense system as it moves closer to our shores in the coming days. Widespread severe weather is forecast with the worst expected on Monday/Tuesday.”
Transport agency Waka Kotahi said it had imposed speed and lane restrictions on the harbour bridge on Sunday morning “due to severe wind gusts”. “Extra care is required for all vehicles. High-sided vehicles and motorcycles please consider delaying your journey or detour via SH18/SH16 (Western Ring Route).”
A 133km/h gust has already hit Cape Reinga this morning.
In a social media post this morning, Auckland Emergency Management said residents should consider evacuating early if they are in flood-prone or isolated areas. Officials have also asked residents to ensure no further flood-damaged items are placed on kerbs - and that any already there after recent flooding should be secured, so they don’t cause additional hazards over the next two days.
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Coromandel residents have also been told to consider evacuating early. “We are now confident to say that a very severe and destructive cyclone is descending on Coromandel. It is now going to arrive earlier than anticipated, Sunday... later in the afternoon,” said Thames Coromandel District council Civil Defence controller Garry Towler. “We are going to have over 400mm of rain, with wind gusts in excess of 140 to 150km/h ... seriously consider preparing to evacuate if you are in areas that are prone to flooding or areas that are going to be inundated with coastal surge.”
Far North resident Lennox Goodhue-Wikitera told the Herald that Gabrielle’s storm system was already hitting New Zealand.
Goodhue-Wikitera said strong wind and rain had started in Ahipara, near Kaitaia, just before 9pm on Saturday. “It windy and getting worse. It’s really strong gusts of wind and the rain has just started. It’s not heavy yet but it’s slowly getting heavier and heavier.”
Their home was exposed, being across the road from the beach and next to a creek. “When it rains, the creek fills up and sometimes it can flood onto the property.”
‘Very severe and destructive’
Cyclone Gabrielle is hitting sooner than first expected today with one official labelling it “very severe and destructive” as he urged flood-prone residents to evacuate early, while MetService has increased the alert levels for some regions.
The whole of the North Island is now under 18 weather warnings and watches, issued by MetService. Forecast as one of the worst storms this century, the cyclone was due to arrive in Northland last night and residents are urged to be ready to evacuate as the threat of damage from floods, slips and severe gales looms.
Auckland is expected to be hit by a third deluge of heavy rain and wind in as many weeks while the Coromandel and parts of Gisborne are subject to MetService’s highest warning level with 300mm to 400mm of rain expected in the region’s hills.
Exacerbating the storm and bringing even more potential damage is how slowly it will pass. From the first falls late yesterday, the system is not expected to clear the country until Thursday.
“There is a very high risk of extreme and impactful weather over the upper North Island late Saturday then spreading south to central New Zealand by Monday,” MetService said in a revised update late yesterday.
With Auckland and the Coromandel still recovering from devastating floods last month, authorities earlier urged North Islanders to stock up on food and medicine and prepare their homes for possible flood and slip damage.
After a hectic Saturday, more queues are expected today at supermarkets, while Air NZ has cancelled flights and urged travellers to reconsider their plans.
Traffic teams are monitoring roads, with Auckland Harbour Bridge “likely” to close, while boaties are urged to stay off the water amid warnings swells could be as high as 7m in places along the coast.
“Our advice to people in all areas affected by the predicted heavy rain and strong winds is to avoid any non-urgent travel,” Waka Kotahi’s Mark Owens said.
Authorities have opened emergency evacuation centres across the north of the country and urged residents to immediately seek shelter if their homes are seriously damaged.
Water and electricity suppliers are also working to be ready for possible outages.
Phillip Duncan from forecaster WeatherWatch said it was rare for a powerful cyclone to come so far south. It almost reached Norfolk Island while still a category-three storm.
It was the huge area of severe weather to the south of Gabrielle that was of most concern for New Zealand, he said.
”It’s not only full of strong winds, gale force, severe gales, it is also full of rain - a lot of tropical rainfall coming down with it,” he said.
”And that’s why you’re seeing some pretty big rainfall totals, mostly on Monday or Tuesday, but it starts here on Sunday. Auckland city is still very exposed to a lot of rain, well over 100mm, most of that falling on Monday.”
He said one of the reasons the storm is tipped to be so bad is that Gabrielle would pass slowly over New Zealand. ”It is slowing down as it gets here - that increases the rainfall totals, especially over these eastern areas.”
MetService this morning issued 19 severe weather warnings and watches.
Region-by-region warnings
- Northland: Red heavy rain warning until midnight Monday; Orange strong wind warning from 7am Sunday to 9pm Tuesday
- Auckland: Red heavy rain warning until 4am Tuesday; Red strong wind warning from 4pm Sunday to 9pm Tuesday
- Coromandel: Red heavy rain warning until 9am Tuesday; Red strong wind warning from 3pm Sunday to 9am Tuesday
- Waikato and Waitomo, across to Bay of Plenty and Gisborne, including Taupo and Taihape: Orange strong wind warning from 9am Monday to 9am Tuesday
- Bay of Plenty: Orange heavy rain warning (west of Whakatane) from 9am Monday to 3pm Tuesday; heavy rain watch east of Whakatane and east of Taupo from 10am Monday to 9pm Tuesday
- Gisborne: Red heavy rain warning north of Tolaga Bay from 3pm Sunday to 6pm Tuesday; Orange rain warning south of Tolaga Bay from 8am Monday to 9am Tuesday
- Hawke’s Bay: Orange heavy rain warning from 10am Monday to 10am Tuesday
- Wairarapa: Orange heavy rain warning from 4pm Monday to 12pm Tuesday
- Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa including the Tararua District, Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Kapiti Coast, Wellington: Orange strong wind warning from 5pm Monday to 12pm Tuesday
Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson and the Auckland Emergency Management team said Civil Defence centres had been opened in every local board in the region.
Residents are urged to seek shelter with their pets in one of the centres immediately if their life is in danger or home flooded.
Up to 200mm of rain could fall across the region on Monday and Tuesday while winds will be a major issue with forecast gusts of up to 140km/h or possibly higher from Monday, Auckland Emergency Management said.
“This combined with the saturated ground conditions may cause the downing of trees and powerlines, and travel routes may be impacted.”
Aucklanders are urged to get ready with emergency supplies this morning, if they hadn’t already done so yesterday.
They are also asked to prepare their homes by tying down loose objects, clearing gutters, raising possessions above flood level if in a flood-prone area and laying sandbags.
However, after big queues formed at sandbag distribution points yesterday, Adam Maggs, controller at Auckland Emergency Management, urged residents to look for other ways to protect their property first.
“Demand is significant,” he said.
His team was urgently working to supply more bags and sand today at collection points in Mairangi Bay, St Heliers and Westgate.
Simpson, meanwhile, said people should talk with their employers to make plans for working through Cyclone Gabrielle, and ensure they’re receiving up-to-date information from schools, kura and early childhood care providers.
With locals yesterday swamping supermarkets to get essential supplies, Countdown and Foodstuffs urge people this morning to only buy what they need and say staff are replenishing stock.
Yesterday, videos and photos emerged online of empty shelves and packed car parks and queues of shoppers at Auckland supermarkets.
Travellers are also being urged to reconsider travel on roads that could become hazardous and damaged in the storm as well as to look to rebook air travel if possible.
“Heavy rain and severe winds are likely to hit Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay,” Waka Kotahi said.
“Many roads in these areas were damaged in the previous storm, the ground is already sodden, and they are particularly vulnerable to slips, flooding and closure.”
Air NZ yesterday cancelled a series of domestic flights ahead of Gabrielle’s arrival.
Flights on turboprop planes into Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga are among those cancelled, while Northland travellers can also expect cancellations.
The list of confirmed domestic cancellations includes:
- All flights to or from Kerikeri and Whangārei between noon Sunday and Tuesday morning are cancelled.
- Last flights into Hamilton and Tauranga on Sunday night are cancelled.
- All turboprop flights to, from or through Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga from noon Sunday through to noon Monday are cancelled.
Thames Coromandel District council Civil Defence controller Garry Towler, meanwhile, urged residents to consider leaving early.
“We are now confident to say that a very severe and destructive cyclone is descending on Coromandel. It is now going to arrive earlier than anticipated, Sunday... later in the afternoon,” he said.
“We are going to have over 400mm of rain, with wind gusts in excess of 140 to 150km/h ... seriously consider preparing to evacuate if you are in areas that are prone to flooding or areas that are going to be inundated with coastal surge,” he said.
That was due to emergency services potentially finding it difficult to reach people during the height of the storm.
