Strong winds blast Wgtn

Press, 22 September 1983, Page 8

Strong winds blast Wgtn

PA Wellington Winds gusting to 141 km/ h, the strongest recorded this year, closed Wellington Airport yesterday, disrupting dozens of flights and stranding hundreds of passengers. The westerly gale which blasted through Cook Strait caused the Qantas flight from Sydney to divert to Auckland, stopped Friendship flights from 1.40 p.m., and Boeings for a time from 5 R‘. m ’ Winds ripping through the city overturned caravans, lifted iron off roofs, shattered windows in high-rise buildings, and flattened advertising signs. On the Rimutaka Hill Road, north of Wellington, two cars wre blown into ditches. However, the Cook Strait rail ferries ran on schedule. By late last evening there had been no report of serious property damage. The strongest gust of 141 km/h — about 45 km/h stronger than the previous best this year but well short of the record gust of 198.3 km/h recorded during the storm of April 10, 1968, when the Wahine sank — was recorded at 10.30 a.m.

The wind had been gusting constantly to about 110 km/h said a Weather Office spokesman, Mr Terry Smith. Four Boeing and 23 outward and 21 inward Friendship flights were cancelled and between 1100 and 1200 passengers were affected at Wellington Airport.