UPDATED: 7:12am – A lightning strike on a Wellington substation has cut electricity to about 4000 homes.
Power was cut in the suburbs of Newlands, Johnsonville and Paparangi after the lightning hit about 6.15am.
The area’s lines company said crews were working on the problem and power should be restored just after 8am.
Traffic lights are out at the Ngauranga motorway interchange, and streetlights aren’t working along State Highway 2 between Ngauranga Gorge and Petone.
The lightning strike follows wild weather yesterday, when a tornado tore through a pānorth of Hokitika and there were thousands of lightning strikes across Waikato, the King Country and the southern part of Auckland.
MetService has lifted its warning for severe thunderstorms in western areas of the North Island this morning.
But it’s forecasting heavy rain, especially Westland from Otira southwards, and strong to gale force winds for western parts of the country over the next few days.
-RNZ
