Final storm summary for 13 February
Before we close down our live blog, here is a quick summary of today’s developments.
You can also read our full report by our New Zealand correspondent, Tess McClure.
Gabrielle is currently sitting 250km (155 miles) north-west of New Zealand’s coast and is forecast to move close to the east coast over the next 24 hours.
Thousands of homes across the country are currently without power. Electricity is out for 46,000 homes, cell service is patchy in some areas and trees have come down and roofs lifted off. The emergency management minister, Kieran McAnulty, said it would be a “critical day” due to the “highly dangerous” combination of high winds and heavy rain.
Almost all of the top half of the North Island has been covered by localised states of emergency including in Auckland – New Zealand’s largest city of 1.7 million people – as well as in Northland, Coromandel, Ōpōtiki, Whakatāne, Tairāwhiti and Hauraki.
Communities in coastal regions evacuated on Monday. Mandatory evacuations were ordered along the entire eastern Bay of Plenty coastline – an area covering about 400 homes – as well as for 100 homes in the Whakatāne district in the Bay of Plenty region.
There were concerns that the high tide – due to arrive around midnight on Monday – would coincide with the worst of the storm.
National forecaster MetService said it had broken its record for “red” weather warnings issued around the country, and wind gusts of 150-160km/h were recorded.
New Zealand prime minister Chris Hipkins warned the worst is yet to come as Cyclone Gabrielle sparks evacuations, rising flood waters and power outages across the North Island. “Things are likely to get worse before they get better,” Hipkins said. “Extreme weather event has come on the back of extreme weather event.”
Hipkins added that the “threshold for a national emergency has not yet been met” as of 4pm on Monday but officials were “getting an update every four hours” and reassessing.
The New Zealand government announced a $11.5m community support package to help tens of thousands of people affected by the recent floods as well as to prepare for the response to Cyclone Gabrielle.
Air New Zealand cancelled 509 flights with 10,000 international customers affected by the disruptions. Normal services are expected to resume on Tuesday.
The cyclone is the second significant weather event to hit Auckland and the upper North Island in just a few weeks. Last month Auckland and surrounding areas were hit by record rainfall that sparked floods and killed four people.
Updated
Landslide crashes into Coromandel coastal home
A landslide crashed into a home in a coastal Coromandel Peninsula town, forcing its occupants to evacuate on Monday afternoon.
Fire and emergency crews were alerted to the large slip in Hahei at 4.18pm on Monday, local news outlet Stuff reported.
“From the information we can see, everyone is out of the house and a small number of people in the area are being evacuated,” a spokesperson said. “That’s as much detail as we can provide.”
A “record storm surge” has been recorded in Whitianga, in the Waikato region of New Zealand’s North Island.
The Whitianga monitoring station recorded a storm surge of 0.7 metres and rising, according to the Niwa forecast service.
The surge measures the rise in water level above the normal tidal level.
#CycloneGabrielle is producing record storm surge.
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) February 13, 2023
This Whitianga monitoring station recorded a storm surge of 0.7 metres & rising.
Coastal flooding & erosion are likely for areas along the Coromandel & BoP. Need to watch high tide tomorrow.
Follow: https://t.co/bUsC4wV0bR pic.twitter.com/TA1N4J5tSE
Updated
Rain engulfs North Island
Radar images released by MetService show rain engulfing New Zealand’s North Island on Monday afternoon.
Eight North Island regions have now declared states of emergency.
The radar images showing the North Island hidden beneath rain this afternoon.
— MetService (@MetService) February 13, 2023
One the South Island, isolated lightning strikes recorded in inland Southland. (shown as the ⭕and ❌on the image)
Find the latest radar images https://t.co/prKU7NLNY1 pic.twitter.com/V6sZsELaR6
Updated
Here are some of the latest images to come through our news wires this afternoon.
Here
Updated
Hauraki and Ōpōtiki announces state of emergency
Hauraki and Ōpōtiki have also announced local states of emergency – that’s most of the upper North Island now covered.
Hauraki District Council has declared a state of emergency as of 3:39pm 13 Feb 2023.
— National Emergency Management Agency (@NZcivildefence) February 13, 2023
Keep up to date with information and advice by visiting their Facebook page: https://t.co/FcAtOTEglt pic.twitter.com/1dbpEateFW
At his 4pm press conference, prime minister Chris Hipkins said the “threshold for a national emergency has not yet been met” but officials were “getting an update every four hours” and reassessing.
Updated
Waikato declares state of emergency
Waikato District Council has declared a local state of emergency, saying a number of areas around the Waikato River were now at high risk of flooding.
At least five other North Island regions – Auckland, Whakatāne, Northland, Coromandel and Tairāwhiti – have declared local states of emergency, which allow councils special powers, including to conduct emergency evacuations.
“With the worst of the weather due to hit overnight, we want to ensure that we are ready to respond taking whatever action necessary to keep our people safe,” said the Waikato District Council mayor, Jacqui Church. She also told residents to self-evacuate if their area was flooding.
If there is surface flooding in your area and you see rising water, do not wait for official warnings. Head for higher ground and stay away from flood water.
Updated
Storm reflects global importance of tackling climate crisis, Hipkins says
The prime minister says that he’ll likely discuss recent weather emergencies in upcoming meetings with other world leaders – and that the storms illustrate the “global importance” of tackling climate change.
I think we’re certainly bound to be asked about the weather in my discussions with other leaders... I’ll be sharing New Zealand’s experience and of course, it is an illustration of the global importance of tackling the challenge of climate change. Other countries are experiencing more extreme weather events as well – the globe is increasingly seeing the effects of climate change.
Updated
Hipkins has spent some time discussing the government’s $11.5m in extra funding for cyclone relief. “It’s clear the demand for support is exceeding the funding available,” he said.
“Extreme weather event has come on the back of extreme weather event.
“Things are likely to get worse before they get better.”
PM gives update as government announces support package
The prime minister, Chris Hipkins, is speaking to media now from Auckland. He says 25,000 people have so far been assisted with food, clothing, shelter, bedding and accommodation.
“People have lost their homes and their vehicles, families are facing additional challenges getting children back to school. And many families will be facing anxiety and distress,” he said.
Updated
Government delivers $11.5m support package
The New Zealand government has just announced a $11.5m community support package to help tens of thousands of people affected by the recent floods as well as to prepare for the response to Cyclone Gabrielle.
The minister for social development and employment, Carmel Sepuloni, said that the demand for support is exceeding funding available for community organisations and groups.
Under the proposed support package, $4m will be given to providers to ensure they can “meet increased demand and support [the] wellbeing of their staff and volunteers” as well as $1m to replenish stocks at food banks currently experiencing high demand, according to a ministry statement shared with the Guardian.
Another $2m of grants will be provided for community groups to support flood response and a $4m expansion of the scope of community connectors to support Auckland and impacted regions’ flood response efforts.
A $500,000 ring fenced funding will also be included to respond to the needs of disabled people. Sepuloni said:
This support package will provide immediate relief for individuals and families, bespoke support for disabled people like transport assistance, as well as support for the voluntary sector who continue to be at the heart of their communities and our response.”
Sepuloni added that although “we’re not out of the woods yet” and the full extent of the damage was still unfolding, he said authorities needed to act swiftly to ensure people can continue to access support.
“Our focus remains on the most affected communities including Māori, Pacific, disabled, youth and our ethnic communities, and the organisations and groups that work to support them,” he added.
Updated
Whakatāne district declares state of emergency
A mandatory evacuation order is currently in place for about 100 homes in the Whakatāne district in the Bay of Plenty region, which just declared a local state of emergency at 3pm on Monday.
Acting mayor Lesley Immink said the declaration provides additional emergency management powers to the district controller and enables the civil defence response to call on support from outside the district if required.
Emergency management powers allows our response team to do things like close off areas, evacuate people and get the resources needed to respond to this event.
Updated
Auckland airport has also released an update, advising that there have been “significant flight cancellations” today.
A total of 85 out of 104 scheduled international flights have been cancelled together with all 301 scheduled domestic flights, the airport said.
Significant flight cancellations at Auckland Airport today.
— Auckland Airport (@AKL_Airport) February 13, 2023
•85/104 international flights cancelled
•301/301 domestic flights cancelled
Please check with your airline for updates on your flight.
Stay safe Auckland.
Updated
Cyclone Gabrielle is approaching New Zealand’s North Island as more challenging conditions are set to come.
Our video team has gathered some of the footage from the past few hours.
Air New Zealand cancels more than 500 flights
The weather has also wreaked havoc on New Zealand’s travel network, with flights, trains and bus schedules all badly affected.
Air New Zealand said they had so far cancelled 509 flights, but normal services were expected to resume on Tuesday.
The airline said 10,000 international customers were disrupted, with 6,500 left to be rebooked.
“With over 500 flight cancellations impacting more than 29,000 customers, we’re doing everything we can to get those disrupted back into the skies as quickly as possible,” the airline said in a statement on Monday afternoon.
Please continue to bear with us as we navigate the disruption #CycloneGabrielle has caused 💜 With over 500 flight cancellations impacting more than 29,000 customers, we’re doing everything we can to get those disrupted back into the skies as quickly as possible. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/nRr7UCT8QF
— Air New Zealand ✈️ (@FlyAirNZ) February 13, 2023
Thousands without power
Thousands of homes in New Zealand are currently without power and flights have been grounded.
Emergency management minister Kieran McAnulty said it would be a “critical day” due to the “highly dangerous” combination of high winds and heavy rain.
Although the storm has weakened from its previous cyclone status, it has already toppled trees, damaged roads and downed power lines.
A state of emergency has been declared in five northern regions including Auckland.
Some 58,000 people in New Zealand’s North Island are without power.
Officials warn it could take days to restore the network.
“As long as the weather continues to be as severe as it is, it’s actually unsafe” to work on the network, McAnulty said.
Updated
Another quick snap here from MetService showing strong winds expected across the majority of the country.
In northern New Zealand, some of the highest gusts have been recorded.
The forecaster recorded winds of up to 163km/h at Channel Island and 144 km/h at Mokohinau Island.
Here's a look at the way the wind wraps tightly around #cyclonegabrielle.
— MetService (@MetService) February 13, 2023
It's either windy now, or getting windy in the next 12-24 hours, across the majority of the country.
Lots of Warnings active. pic.twitter.com/IbpNMyyRAJ
Wind gusts up to 160km/h recorded
National forecaster MetService has issued a heavy rain warning, together with a red and strong wind warning predicted to last until Wednesday.
Wind gusts of 150-160 km/h, and some stations in Gisborne have recorded rain rates of 15-30mm in a single hour, the forecaster said.
Wind gusts also reached up to 140km/h in Northland and 135km/h in the Hauraki Gulf, outside Auckland.
These winds are expected to produce widespread damage, especially to trees and power lines and could lift roofs. Transport and power networks are likely to be significantly impacted, with road closures and power outages.
Conditions will be hazardous for motorists and there is a danger to life from flying debris and falling trees or branches.
The size of Cyclone Gabrielle is clear in this video.
— MetService (@MetService) February 13, 2023
Since noon, we're recorded gusts of 150 - 160 km/h, and some stations in Gisborne have recorded rain rates of 15 - 30mm in a single hour. pic.twitter.com/1dZ1A4dxEU
Updated
Emergency services log 198 weather-related incidents
Fire and Emergency New Zealand district manager Brad Mosby has also provided an update, saying that said over the past 12 hours, from 1am, there had been 198 incidents logged related to severe weather.
Most have been related to wind damage, he added.
There were 91 incidents recorded in Northland, 62 in Auckland and 35 in Waikato, mainly from the Coromandel.
As rain intensifies, more calls relating to flooding are coming through, Moseby said.
Updated
Worst of wind to batter parts of Auckland on Tuesday
MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths has said the cyclone is about halfway through and the most challenging wind conditions are set to batter parts of Auckland on Tuesday.
Griffiths said rainfall has made the ground soggy again, however no major flooding has happened yet.
We do not expect everyone to see the heavier rain rates, however those who do will see localised impacts such as slips and floods.
The wind is expected to return from the south-west overnight and tomorrow.
A storm surge is still likely for eastern Auckland around 2am, however effects will be less than previously expected, Griffiths said.
Updated
‘We’re not out of the woods yet,’ Auckland residents warned
Rachel Kelleher, deputy controller Auckland emergency management, has said the effects of the cyclone will get worse before they get better.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” she told reporters during a live briefing on Monday.
Updated
Auckland residents urged to stay home
The mayor of Auckland, Wayne Brown, has said the next 24 hours will be challenging, urging residents to stay home.
As long as it’s safe, stay home …
It’s going to be a hard night and a very difficult week. For many, the recovery will be long.”
Updated
Auckland emergency officials give cyclone
Officials are gathering to provide a live update on Cyclone Gabrielle in Auckland today.
Representatives from the MetService, Auckland council, the NZDF, fire and emergency and other organisations are joining Auckland emergency management at 2pm local time.
Speaking are Georgina Griffiths from MetService, Colonel Mel Childs from the defence force, fire and emergency district manager Brad Mosby, Vector’s chief operating officer Peter Ryan, Auckland mayor Wayne Brown and Auckland transport’s general manager of safety, Stacey van der Putten.
We will bring you all the latest lines shortly.
Updated
Defence force on standby
The New Zealand defence force has located 150 staff across Auckland and neighbouring regions as they bring in welfare supplies to civil defence centres and shelters.
A statement issued by the force on Monday morning read:
About 150 NZDF personnel and mix of vehicle types are positioned ready to respond across the Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty areas.
Teams have also been assisting in the establishment of Civil Defence centres and shelters across Auckland including delivering more than 50 pallets of emergency supplies including blankets, tea, coffee, air mattresses, sleeping bags and warm clothes.
Supplies at the ready📦 Today soldiers from 16FD assisted in delivering and unloading more than 50 pallets of emergency supplies to the central distribution centre in Auckland ahead of the severe weather from Cyclone Gabrielle.
— New Zealand Army (@NZArmy) February 12, 2023
More➡️ https://t.co/QKMXnApAPy #NZArmy #Force4NZ pic.twitter.com/uxK4LdmdnJ
Updated
Rain and wind expected to intensify
The approach of Cyclone Gabrielle is bringing particularly strong winds, heavy rain and huge swells to Auckland and nearby regions.
Gabrielle is now sitting just north of New Zealand, with weather forecasters expecting rain and winds to intensify as it nears land during Monday and Tuesday.
Rachel Kelleher, deputy controller Auckland emergency management, warned that the cyclone was “still in its early stages” and more severe weather is to come.
The impact of Gabrielle is still in its early stages and further serious and severe weather is still expected for Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) later today into Tuesday morning.
Now is not the time for complacency.
Updated
Person missing on boat off Great Barrier Island
A search is under way to for a person missing on a boat off the coast of Great Barrier Island.
A police spokesperson said police had responded to reports of a boat in distress around 2.15am.
“Enquiries are ongoing to locate one person aboard a water vessel near Great Barrier Island this morning.”
The Police Maritime and Eagle – helicopter response – units had “attempted to approach the boat throughout the morning, however conditions have been challenging, and at this stage no one has been located,” they said.
Police will make further attempts to approach the vessel when conditions allow.
Updated
Chris Hipkins may miss opening of parliament
Prime minister Chris Hipkins may miss the scheduled opening of parliament tomorrow if he remains trapped in Auckland by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Hipkins traveled to Auckland to attend cyclone preparation briefings and speak to Apec business council. With all domestic flights in and out of Auckland currently cancelled until at least midday tomorrow, the prime minister’s chances of getting back to parliament to deliver the prime minister’s statement – traditional on the first house sitting of the year – are looking narrow.
Updated
Cellphone service disrupted by storm
As well as power outages, there are disruptions to cellphone coverage – primarily in the upper North Island – with some cell phone sites out due to power outages or wind damage.
Vodafone, Spark and 2 Degrees all say they have a number of sites down.
We have started to see the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle on our network, with some cell sites currently down due to power issues.
— Vodafone New Zealand (@vodafoneNZ) February 12, 2023
Sending aroha to those battling Cyclone Gabrielle up north. As the storm front continues to make it's way down the country, we are seeing localized outages due to power outages and wind damage. (1/2)
— 2degrees (@2degreesmobile) February 12, 2023
Updated
Forecasters and weather monitoring agencies are forecasting huge swells around the North Island – and warning people to stay away.
Waves to the north of New Zealand, near the centre of #CycloneGabrielle, are over 12 m high! 🌊
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) February 12, 2023
⚠️ On Monday-Tuesday, 5-8 m waves are likely in the northern & eastern North Island ~ coastal conditions will be very dangerous!
🧵 insights from @niwa_nz's coastal experts... pic.twitter.com/G8gxXz7zJT
'The worst weather is still to come' for parts of North Island
National forecaster Metservice says the worst weather is still to come – and that it has already broken records for the most “red” weather warnings ever issued. Some of the key points from their statement at noon:
Cyclone Gabrielle is bearing down on the North Island, and despite widespread damage and disruption last night and this morning, the worst weather is still to come for many regions today.
“This is a major weather system and shouldn’t be taken lightly,” explains meteorologist Angus Hines. “We have a couple more days of wild weather ahead. We’ve never had such an extensive range of Red Severe Weather Warnings – which are the highest classification of Severe Weather Warning MetService can issue.”
Many of the red rain warnings are for already waterlogged regions, following last month’s floods. Those warnings are currently in place for Northland, Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula and the north of Tairāwhiti/Gisborne.
Angus says:
All of these places have already dealt with immense rainfall this year, and lots of them are in clean-up mode from recent flooding.
Unfortunately, we expect further flooding, slips power outages, and road closures Monday and Tuesday, prolonging this unprecedented wet summer.
Updated
Evacuations advised in some low-lying, coastal communities
Evacuations are under way in some coastal, low-lying and river-adjacent communities.
In Whangarei, the district council has advised residents living close to rivers in the central business district and Town Basin area to evacuate before high tide at 1.56pm, “because of a high risk of coastal flooding”. An evacuation centre has opened at McKay Stadium.
Elsewhere around the North Island, some communities have been self-evacuating, but officials don’t yet have data on how many. At an 11am press conference, emergency management official Roger Ball said there was no precise number of evacuations at that point.
Twenty-four Civil Defence centres and shelters opened up in Auckland overnight, including three mass evacuation centres. New Zealanders are advised to check with their local Civil Defence for details on evacuations.
Updated
Cyclone tracking southward
So far the centre of the cyclone is sitting just north of New Zealand, and moving slowly southward. Here’s a satellite image from an hour ago:
Here's a satellite image showing the current location of Cyclone Gabrielle, which is tracking slowly southwards https://t.co/rcECVupUMw ^PL pic.twitter.com/S5TUW8AvAL
— MetService (@MetService) February 12, 2023
You can track the cyclone via satellite in real time via Metservice.
Updated
Summary and welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Cyclone Gabrielle. I’m Tess McClure, I’m based in Auckland, and I will be keeping you up to date on developments as they come in. Here is what we know so far:
58,000 homes in the North Island are without power, and some in the Northland region may not have it restored for around a week.
Auckland, Northland, Coromandel and the Tairāwhiti region have declared states of emergency. As of 11am, government officials said they were assessing every four hours whether a national state of emergency would be declared.
Evacuations have begun in some low-lying and coastal communities.
The cyclone has not yet made landfall, and the worst of the storm’s effects are yet to arrive, emergency management minister Kieran McAnulty said on Monday morning: “Today is the critical day in the event with a highly dangerous combination of high winds and heavy rain.”
National forecaster MetService has issued 30 weather warnings nationwide, with “red” weather and rain warnings for Auckland and Northland. Wind gusts have reaches up to 140km/h in Northland and 135km/h in the Hauraki Gulf, outside Auckland.
Auckland residents have been urged to stay home and ensure they have supplies for up to three days. Most Auckland flights and all trains are cancelled and almost every school is shut.
The cyclone comes a fortnight after devastating floods in Auckland and around the North Island, which killed four, damaged thousands of homes and left 370 households still in emergency accommodation. The severe winds and rain would come on top of already sodden land, risking structural problems, landslips, falling trees and power line problems. The whole Auckland region was at risk of flooding, emergency management officials said on Monday.
Updated
Minister urges people urged to hunker down
Emergency management minister Kieran McAnulty has just finished up a briefing in Auckland, urging people to finalise their preparations and then hunker down.
“To those where the weather hasn’t hit but it’s projected to, please use the time that you’ve got to get prepared. As we’ve seen in those areas that have now been hit, using that time to get prepared can make all the difference.”
Some supermarkets have run out of high-demand items, but he said those shortages would be temporary, and told people to resist panic buying. “We’re encouraging people to … only get what they need. In an event like this three days should be enough.”
He ended by urging against unnecessary risk-taking – including surfers who could be tempted by huge swells.
Please don’t go out in the flood water, please don’t go out in the high swells. We’re seeing reports and projections that some of the swells around coastal New Zealand are going to be absolutely massive – look, I’m conscious that some people might find that appealing and they might want to go surfing or whatever … please don’t do something that if you get caught will drag emergency responders away from their core task.
Updated
