Gusts set to sweep over South Island

Nelsonians woke up to a windy morning today, with gusts of up to 76kmh in the city.

It made buildings groan and whipped up whitecaps on the harbour, but it did not appear to do much damage.

A Nelson Airport spokesman said there had been no disruption to air traffic.

Richmond, Motueka, Wakefield and Nelson police said there were no reports of any damage.

Nelmac tree services manager Peter Bywater said he had been around the parks this morning to check for damage, but there had been no broken branches or trees down. But by 9am, people had begun reporting damage, including a fallen tree at Tahunanui Beach and branches on Konini St.

MetService South Island forecaster Jon Tunster said the average wind speed at Nelson Airport was 52kmh (29 knots) gusting to 76kmh (41 knots).

He said the wind had picked up about 6am and was not expected to die down all day.

"It's going to be a fairly windy day across the South Island in general," he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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