Severe storm hits New Zealand - RTRS

On Thursday, a storm carrying gales of up to 160 km an hour (100 mph) hit New Zealand, leading to severe wind, rain and snow, which caused flight disruptions, road closures and power outages across the OZ nation, Reuters reports.

 Meteorologist Tom Adams said on the New Zealand meteorological service's website, “Damaging southerly winds continue until tonight ... before gradually easing tomorrow morning. Wellington has already seen gusts of 160 (kph) ... earlier today, and Cook Strait recorded mean wind speeds of 130 km/hr and 11-metre (36 feet) waves this morning."