Update on Cyclone Pam

At 10am this morning Cyclone Pam was located about 230 km east-northeast of East Cape, Gisborne. Despite being re-classified as an extra-tropical cyclone in the early hours of this morning, the system still has severe weather which is affecting parts of New Zealand.

The system is moving south and should lie about 180 km east of East Cape around 1pm today (16/0000 UTC) and just northeast of the Chatham Islands around 1pm Tuesday (17/0000 UTC). It is expected to maintain its intensity or intensify slightly as it moves southeast.

Strong southeast winds and rain are expected over much of the North Island today, along with extremely large seas about the east coast. Wind gusts of 120 km/h or more are possible about the eastern Bay of Plenty and northern parts of Gisborne. Winds of this strength are likely to cause damage to trees and powerlines and could lift roofs and make driving conditions hazardous.

The heaviest rain has been in Gisborne, where more than 130mm has accumulated about the ranges so far. A further 70-100mm is possible in Gisborne and northern Hawkes Bay today, as well as about the coastal hills of Hawkes Bay south of Napier. Rivers and streams in these areas will rise rapidly, and localised surface flooding and slips are likely as well as hazardous driving conditions.

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