A yacht sunk in Northland on Wednesday, as forecasters warn that strong winds and heavy rain will intensify overnight into Thursday, as Cyclone Tam sweeps south to other regions.
The yacht was moored near Totara North in Whangaroa Harbour during the storm, and Northland harbourmaster Jim Lyle urged all boat owners to check their vessels, particularly for worn headlines, or blocked cockpit drains or failing bilge pumps.
The effects of Cyclone Tam began to be felt in many places on Wednesday, but it was not yet clear what caused the boat to sink near Totara North, Lyle said. The sunken boat did not pose a navigational hazard to other vessels.
Winds up to 130km/h were measured at Cape Reinga, and strong gusts led to lanes on the Auckland Harbour Bridge being closed a number of times during Wednesday's afternoon and evening.
MetService said it would be referring to the weather system - technically an Ex-Tropical Cyclone - as Cyclone Tam, to ensure the message was clear that this was a serious storm.
The centre of the cyclone weather system is expected to remain offshore, but extreme weather is still expected, with warnings and watches issued for many parts of the North Island and upper South Island, and people urged to stay up to date with changes, MetService meteorologist John Law said,
Northlanders should expect more strong wind, heavy rain and high swells from Thursday morning, with the possibility of thunderstorms and "some really locally intense bursts of rainfall," Law said. The system will then sweep south to Auckland.
Towards Friday, the storm will begin to arrive in regions like Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and the north of the South Island, Law said.
As many as 6400 properties were without power in Northland at one point on Wednesday, with Vector saying there were outages also in Auckland. Power companies warned people to prepare for more power cuts to come, in particular anyone who relies on powered medical equipment.
Northland Civil Defence also urged residents to prepare for the weather.
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Cyclone Tam claimed this yacht that was moored in Northland's Whangaroa Harbour, on Wednesday. Photo: Supplied/ Harlan Cox
