Residents of New Zealand’s North Island are bracing for heavy rains and winds as Cyclone Gabrielle moves south and closes in on the coast.
Local mayors across the island have declared local state of emergencies, particularly for the northernmost regions, with Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown warning residents that the worst was yet to come.
“The next 24 hours will be challenging for all Aucklanders,” he told reporters. “Please pay attention to [the weather forecast], and remember, things can be worse than expected.”
The national forecaster, MetService, reported that since noon local time, it had recorded wind gusts of 150 to 160 kilometres per hour (93 to 99 miles), and some stations on the east coast of the North Island recorded 15 to 30 millimetres of rain in a single hour….