Equinoctial gales usher in spring

Wednesday (Sept 24) morning at 9:18am marked a special point in our orbit around the sun - the overhead sun shifted from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere, known as the September equinox.

Over the next few weeks, as we notice the longer days (thanks in part to our switch to Daylight Saving on Sunday) there will be extra warmth reaching the southern ocean. This helps to activate the generally westerly quarter winds found there, and usually causes these winds to expand onto New Zealand producing fronts and squally winds. This period of “equinoctial gales” normally reaches its peak in October and November.

Vector reminds tree owners to check their trees and ensure they are not growing near lines and to check that broken branches and other vegetation debris are cleared away. Vegetation on lines is the cause of one in four outages during storms.

NETWORK SUMMARY for week ending 28 September 2014

ELECTRICITY

Wild equinoctial weather on Monday brought down lines and caused power outages to around 10,000 residents from Otara to Te Arai. Gusts of up to 90km/h, along with torrential rain, brought down branches and trees over lines. Field crews worked around the clock to restore power quickly to those affected. The following day, the tail of the storm also affected residents on the Hibiscus Coast with lines coming down in the coastal community.

On the roads, a car hit a road side pillar in Newmarket and a car collided with a pole in Grey Lynn which required urgent works to repair the equipment and restore power. There were further car v pole incidents in Mangere and Albany Heights over the weekend.

Our crews were called to isolate the power at building fire sites in Mt Wellington, Northcote and Mt Eden during the week.

We were alerted to a customer who had received an electric shock in their home in Glendene. Our crews investigated immediately and made the site safe. We advised of the need for an electrician because the fault was in the wiring of the home.
GAS

There were three gas pipe strikes during the week in Red Beach, New Plymouth and Penrose. All incidents were caused by contractors working in the area.

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