A woman narrowly escaped a dangerous situation when she was unexpectedly pushed into the path of oncoming vehicles by an extremely powerful gust of wind. The incident, captured on dashcam footage, occurred as she was walking towards a pedestrian crossing in Wellington, New Zealand’s windiest city, where wind speeds reached 85mph. Struggling to maintain her balance, she attempted to grasp onto a traffic light post but failed, ultimately falling onto the road.
Fortunately, the woman managed to avoid serious injury as a group of cars had already passed, creating a safe gap for her to recover and reach the sidewalk. The incident prompted numerous social media users to comment on the strength of the wind, with many expressing relief that the woman was unharmed.
Meanwhile, tragic news emerged as a man lost his life after being struck by a tree branch in a Wellington park during the severe weather conditions. The storm, characterized by dangerous winds and heavy rainfall, caused travel disruptions, school closures, and power outages in various parts of the country.
Flight operations at the Wellington airport were temporarily suspended due to the adverse weather conditions before resuming with turbulent take-offs and landings. The storm also affected passenger ferry services. The fatal incident occurred on Mount Victoria, a popular trail in the city center.
Authorities issued warnings advising residents to avoid parks and reserves in the city due to the risk of falling trees. Thousands of properties in the neighboring rural region of Wairarapa were left without electricity, leading to closures of schools and businesses in the area.
The lower North Island, including Wellington, and most of the South Island were under wind or rain alerts on Tuesday. In Christchurch, gales disrupted flight schedules in the afternoon. Several state highways on both islands were closed due to flooding and landslides. Additionally, in Hawkes Bay, a truck was overturned by the strong winds, causing injuries and road closures.
New Zealand’s geographical location and mountainous terrain contribute to the occurrence of extreme weather conditions throughout the year. The meteorological service forecasted a temporary easing of the storm on Wednesday, followed by the arrival of a more severe weather system on Thursday.