Power cuts, flight delays
Flights were cancelled and power was cut to parts of Taranaki after a morning of rain, lightening strikes and low cloud.
A morning flight from Auckland to New Plymouth was diverted to Palmerston North due to weather, with passengers being put on a bus to get back to Taranaki.
This resulted in another flight to Auckland from New Plymouth being cancelled. Flights to Wellington and Christchurch were also delayed.
Power was briefly lost in the CBD and other parts of New Plymouth at around 9am due to a flurry of lightning strikes.
Powerco network operations manager Phil Marsh said the lightning had hit poles or transformers, causing a power loss. Supply was restored by mid afternoon. ‘‘The volatile weather system caused damage in New Plymouth, Cambridge, Tokoroa and Marton as it crossed our network,’’ Marsh said.
CBD business Judd Opticians lost power just before 9am, receptionist Phoebe Stewart said. She said it was out for around
45 minutes.
More than 100 homes were without power in Westown, New Plymouth, until
10.30am and 38 properties in Ferndale had power restored by 2.30pm.
Met Service meteorologist James Millward said the region saw some ‘‘decent rainfall’’ and low cloud, which would have affected the flight paths.
Millward said the New Plymouth airport saw around two millimetres of rain.
Mt Taranaki saw the most rain before
10am with about 31mm.
Despite all this, Millward said New Plymouth was in for a sunny afternoon with occasional ‘‘short sharp’’ showers, and to expect the same today.