Severe storms kill man in Wellington as Canterbury declares emergency

Strong winds and heavy rain battered large parts of New Zealand this week, killing a man in Wellington on Tuesday and prompting rare red wind warnings and a state of emergency in the South Island region of Canterbury on Thursday. The first storm produced damaging gusts and local disruption in the lower North Island and South Island, and forecasters warned a second, more severe system would follow, forcing authorities to close facilities and restrict travel.

Police said the man was struck by a falling tree branch while walking on Mount Victoria in central Wellington on Tuesday and later died. Authorities urged people to stay out of parks and reserves because of the danger from falling trees. A dashcam video circulated showing a pedestrian blown by a gust into the road, narrowly avoiding oncoming traffic.

MetService recorded gusts of up to 120 kilometers per hour in the Kelburn area of Wellington during the earlier storm and forecast even stronger winds for Thursday. The national weather agency issued red strong wind warnings for parts of Wellington, Wairarapa and the Canterbury region, warning of gusts up to 140 to 150 kilometers per hour in exposed coastal and high-country...