Ex-Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle hammering New Zealand
A State of Emergency has been declared for parts of New Zealand’s North Island as communities prepare for a wild night of weather from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle.
Gabrielle first became a tropical cyclone over the Coral Sea on Wednesday last week. The system then went on to pass directly over Norfolk Island on the weekend and is now hammering New Zealand as a powerful subtropical storm.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle is dragging huge amounts of tropical moisture towards New Zealand, resulting in rainfall accumulations rarely seen over the county’s North Island. According to the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), Gabrielle’s rainfall totals will be unprecedented for some areas.
For some, rainfall totals from #CycloneGabrielle will be unprecedented. Flooding & slips will increase as the event unfolds.
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) February 12, 2023
Rivers & streams will rise rapidly. Purple (🟣) means extremely high flows & greatest risk for river flooding.
Follow advice from emergency officials. pic.twitter.com/vXRXnd2TSP
New Zealand’s Met Service has used similar language in their warnings for Gabrielle, noting that the system “poses a VERY HIGH risk of extreme, impactful, and unprecedented weather over many regions of the North Island through to Tuesday.”
Image: Radar showing rain over most of the North Island on Monday afternoon. Source: Met Service
The Met Service reported that some areas in the Gisborne region of the North Island received more than 300 mm of rain between midnight and 6pm on Monday. This deluge prompted the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence to declare a regional State of Emergency for Bay of Plenty, giving authorities the power to act more quickly as conditions continue to deteriorate into Monday night.
Video: An ominous view of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle spinning near New Zealand's North Island on Monday.
Gabrielle will continue to cause very heavy rain, powerful winds and a dangerous storm surge over New Zealand’s North Island during Monday night into Tuesday morning. Some severe weather may also extend to the upper South Island from Tuesday.
At this stage, conditions should ease for most areas from Wednesday as the system moves towards the east. However, pockets of severe weather could continue over some eastern parts of the country on Wednesday and Thursday.
Check the latest weather warnings from the Met Service for the most up-to-date information on this evolving weather event.