According to the Unison website, nearly 1000 customers are without power in Lynmore and Ōwhata while Powerco said 78 customers were affected by an outage in the Lower Kaimai.
Earlier, a Unison spokeswoman said 1332 customers lost power in Hamurana due to a fallen tree across power lines.
“Crews are on site to try and restore power to customers as soon as safely possible.
“With wild weather forecast to continue in the region, we encourage customers to ensure they are prepared for power outages, to call 0800 2 UNISON if they are without power, and to stay clear of and report any damaged or fallen power lines.”
Tree down on Oturoa Rd.
A tree is also down in Oturoa Rd.
MetService said Bay of Plenty and Rotorua could expect 120-160mm of rain in parts of the region, especially east of Rotorua.
Peak rates of 20-30mm/h were likely in localised downpours on Friday morning and afternoon, with thunderstorms also possible. Heavy rain is expected to ease west of Whakatāne late on Friday afternoon.
Niwa said last night up to 100mm could fall in just a few hours, bringing concerns of flooding for the region.
MetService meteorologist Thapi Makgabutlane said 36mm fell in Rotorua between 6pm yesterday and 1pm today, while 7mm had fallen in Tauranga.
“The weather system is still over Coromandel and will continue to move eastwards over Bay of Plenty throughout today, so those accumulations are expected to increase.”
A surfer braves large swells at Mount Maunganui this morning. Photo / Alex Cairns
An orange warning is in place for the Coromandel Peninsula between 9am and 3pm on Friday. A strong wind watch is also in place.
A severe thunderstorm watch is also in place for these regions.
