Wild gale force winds today (Friday August 5) are causing a number of weather-related outages across Aurora Energy’s network.

Central residents can keep an eye on The Central App and Aurora’s website for updates on outages and restoration times here.

Outages have occurred at Moa Creek, Omakau, Lauder and Fruitlands.

Aurora has turned power off at Moa Creek and Lauder at the request of the emergency services to keep responders and the public safe.

There is a fire in the Moa Creek area and fire crews have requested the area stay isolated due to a large blaze. No restoration time can be given until the fire is under control. 

Fault crews are heading to sites without power and Aurora will update its website when more information is available.

People are advised to keep clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times.

Flights into Queenstown have been disrupted and many diverted, cancelled or delayed. It has reached an unseasonable high of 19.7degrees at the airport today according to Metservice. 

Police are advising road users around the Southern district to be aware while driving today due to the high winds currently affecting the area.

The strong winds have hit Alexandra, at the time of writing the Central App has just secured an outdoor table that was doing its best to become a kite.

Take care if you are on the roads, you can stay up to date with weather, power Outages and road reports on our Reports button.