A southerly storm hit Christchurch early this morning. Residents woke around 4am to hear strong wind blowing trees and heavy rain hitting the roof. Many streets were flooded later in the day and roads closed. More than 2,500 homes lost their electricity and face a cold night tonight with no heating. Residents who cook with electricity cannot have a hot meal or even a cup of tea.
The storm is moving north. Kiwi Rail cancelled Cook Strait ferry sailings tonight because of the strong winds. Wellington will feel the storm by the morning.
The storm has not finished in Christchurch though. Wednesday will also be cold, wet and windy.
March, April and May are our autumn months. However, the beginning of March has been more like winter in some parts of New Zealand. Meanwhile summer weather continued in the east coast of the North Island which had fine, warm weather today. New Zealand is a long country and the weather is often very different in different parts of the country.
Pronunciation
Southerly – it rhymes with motherly; however south rhymes with mouth.