Several trees and branches down throughout Hamilton

Wild weather has caused a large number of trees and branches to fall throughout Hamilton today.

Hamilton City Council arboriculture staff have been kept busy clearing vulnerable and damaged trees throughout the city as winds reached around 130km per hour.

Council contract supervisor arboriculture (street trees) Pip Watson said while strong winds alone do not tend to cause problems for the city’s trees, the gusts coupled with wet, soft ground has seen several trees come down across Hamilton.

“Most of the trees that have been damaged today have been visited and assessed this year for safety – it is simply an extreme weather event that has led to a number of trees and branches coming down today.”

At around 7am this morning a large tree on Brookfield Street in Hamilton East fell on to power lines, causing five power poles to be replaced and causing minor damage to a parked car. Power has been out to properties in MacFarlane Street and the Hayes Paddock area, and is expected to be restored shortly.

At approximately 9.30am a large gum tree on Memorial Drive split, causing damage to a vehicle parked nearby. The tree has since been fully removed.

Around 10.15am a large Liquid Amber on Liverpool Street split, causing a limb approximately 0.5m in diameter to fall onto a vehicle parked nearby, causing extensive damage to the vehicle.

At approximately 11.30am small limbs came off a tree on Commerce Street, causing minor damage to a parked vehicle. In all there have been reports of six damaged cars.

“Damage to these vehicles is very unfortunate but something that occurs with such extreme weather in a city with so many trees. We are pleased to be able to say that no one has been injured,” said Ms Watson.

A number of other minor incidents of fallen branches and trees have also been reported throughout the day.

Ms Watson said her team has been working closely with the Police and Fire Service to deal with the occurrences and ensure minimal disruption to the public.

“With a significant number of occurrences today it is likely to take our team at least until the end of the week to clear up following this storm. We will be prioritising our work, with our first priority to ensure all roads are clear."

While there have been reports of a tornado in Te Awamutu this afternoon, Ms Watson said there have been no reports of tornadoes in Hamilton.

Minor surface flooding occurred in several locations throughout the city today.