Wild weather will see the township of Thames cut off tonight.

Police are closing State Highway 25 from Jellicoe Crescent to Maramarahi Road, south of the town.

State Highway 25 from Victoria Street north to Coromandel Township is also being closed for safety reasons.

Officials say high tide is due at 10 o’clock tonight and slips and trees down have also worsened problems.

Police say residents in Thames and further up the highway will not be able to leave or re-enter the area until the tide subsides and damage is repaired or removed.

Locals are being encouraged to stay indoors.

Auckland drivers warned

Northland and Auckland are currently getting a soaking, with Auckland drivers warned to take care of surface flooding, particularly in the North Shore.

But it’s the wind that’s expected to cause the most damage, with the Coromandel Peninsula currently being battered by 100km/h winds, and Paeroa also getting hammered by gusts of up to 60km.

As the weather gets worse this evening, hurricane strength gusts and torrential rain are expected in some areas.

Thames Valley Civil Defence spokesperson Gary Talbot says there’s no need to panic, as long as people are prepared.

“They should be making sure outdoor furniture, trampolines and the like are all secure and just really take care on the roads. There’s still the risk of flash flooding, trees and power lines down.”

 

Worst over for Auckland?

WeatherWatch says that for Auckland, the worst of this storm may be over – or peaking about now.

Philip Duncan says that rain will soon ease when the heaviest of it moves out of Northland.

He says the winds will pick up tonight, but die down around midnight..

“The worst of the winds for Auckland will probably be between now and probably 8 or 9pm tonight. It might extend a little bit further on than that.”

Auckland Transport’s reporting minor surface flooding around the city, particularly on the North Shore.

They are urging people to keep safe and drive to the conditions.

The Fire Service is starting to receive a number of weather related calls.

Crews have been called to Kawakawa Bay where several trees have fallen down.

There’s also been some flooding in Forest Hill Road in Takapuna.

Further up north, surface flooding is causing problems on several main roads in central Whangarei.

 

Evacuations possible

Local Councils say evacuations are possible as foul weather lashes the upper North.

The Coromandel’s bearing the brunt of gale force winds – gusting at up to 120 k’s an hour.

Gary Talbot of Thames Valley Civil Defence says the downpour in coastal areas coupled with a spring tide is raising the possibility of flooding – and evacuations.

“On the east coast of the Coromandel there’s a bit of a tidal threat they’re anticipating the tide could go higher than normal.”

Meanwhile…rain’s forecast to continue in Auckland overnight, and drivers are being warned to keep an eye out for flooding.

 

Double check your flights

 

Travellers using Auckland Airport tonight are being asked to double check their flights.

The nasty weather’s caused a number of domestic flights to be delayed or cancelled.

A handful of inbound and outbound international services have also been delayed.

Travellers can get the latest information on Auckland Airport’s website.

 

Potential power outages

The wild weather set to hit the north island this afternoon may cause power outages.

Vector spokesperson Sandy Hodge says customers need to be prepared for power loss.

“We are anticipating that we may have trees coming down on lines if those winds stay strong so we’ve made sure that we’ve got crews sent up to those parts of the network that we’re expecting high winds in.”

Ms Hodge recommends switching off all appliances at the wall, and keeping a torch and a gas cooker handy.
 

– NewstalkZB with WeatherWatch.co.nz