Wet & windy & whoops

I got back into cellphone reception after a long weekend away and discovered that there had been a brief potential tsunami threat on Saturday morning. A magnitude 7.4 earthquake in the Kermadecs at 6:57am. Raoul Island recorded just a 10-17cm tsunami, so the alert was quickly cancelled. Apologies if you expected to find information about it here earlier, or receive an alert on your phone.

Hopefully you all enjoyed your long weekend in spite of that. It was a bit windy as I packed up my tent on Monday, and the wind has only gotten stronger since then.

The MetService has issued a Severe Weather Warning for heavy rain to fall in the Tararuas. A front is expected to move over the lower North Island late this afternoon and early evening, bringing a brief but intense burst of heavy rain to the Tararua Range, with 50-70mm of rain falling in a 6-8 hour period. I wouldn't recommend going tramping or hunting with that kind of weather in the forecast, as rivers and streams can rise rapidly.

There's also a Watch in place for northwest winds in Wellington and Wairapapa that could reach severe gale strength in exposed places until this afternoon. Winds that strong can blow things around, and you should take care while driving, especially on motorbikes or in high-sided vehicles.

So take care if you are off to the All Black parade in Wellington today - that tickertape is going to go everywhere!