Weather Watch: Subtropical Storm Hits North Island – Here’s What’s Happening Now
Updated: April 17, 1:45 PM
New Zealand’s North Island is currently being battered by a powerful subtropical system, bringing heavy rain, wild winds, power outages — and a whole lot of disruption just ahead of the Easter weekend.
Here’s everything you need to know — and what’s unfolding right now across the country:
What’s Going On?
A massive weather system — the tail end of Ex-Cyclone Tam — is sweeping across the upper North Island and making its presence very known.
💨 Expect the worst weather between now and Good Friday.
Power Outages Across the North
- Thousands of homes in Northland lost power overnight, with outages spreading into Auckland too.
- Ngāruawāhia and Huntly are feeling the impact, with more than 2300 homes in the dark, according to Wel Networks.
- In Hamilton’s Frankton, nearly 100 properties are affected.
Damage Reports Rolling In
- Mangawhai Heads (Northland): A home had its entire roof ripped off by fierce gusts.
Neighbor Erwin Veer told 1News: “It’s really bad — I can see straight into the rooms.” - Silverdale (Auckland): A shed was shredded by winds, with debris scattered across a backyard.
Fire and Emergency Responds to 263+ Calls
From Wednesday morning to Thursday midday, FENZ has handled everything from:
- Flood rescues 🚨
- Downed trees 🌳
- Flying roofs 🏚️
- Live power lines ⚡
- And even three vegetation fires sparked by arcing lines 🔥
They’ve been incredibly busy — with over 249 weather-related incidents and counting.
Rescue on SH1 – Rangiahua Bridge
A person was dramatically rescued this morning after their vehicle got trapped in rising floodwaters.
FENZ used specialist gear to safely pull them out. Emergency services were on site quickly.
Power Restoration Update – Auckland
Good news: Vector says power has been restored to 80% of affected customers.
But with wind gusts sticking around, they’re bracing for more outages.
Over 1,000 crew members are working non-stop to get everyone reconnected.
Warnings You Need to Know
- Northland: Under a strong wind warning till 8PM – gusts up to 120km/h
- Auckland & Great Barrier Island: Expect damaging wind gusts from tonight
- Rain: Forecast to spread to the South Island by Thursday
- Auckland Harbour Bridge: Drive with caut
- ion due to high wind gusts
- Nelson: Sports fields closed for Easter weekend – decision to reopen will depend on weather
Stay dry, stay safe, and keep checking in for more real-time updates. 🌧️💨
