A weather radar tower has been damaged after being struck by a bolt of lightning near Hokitika yesterday afternoon.
MetService meteorologist Katie Hillyer told 1News the radar north of the Hokitika River was struck shortly after 1pm yesterday, which is when the radar stopped transmitting.
“Our radar towers are often the tallest object around, which is just what we need to get a great view of the weather, but it leaves them exposed to lightning strikes,” the forecaster said.
She said there had been “very active” weather in the area, but it was not immediately clear what had caused the disruption to the system.
A team of technicians were sent to assess the site, and found the remote radar that had been damaged following a lightning strike.
Hillyer said it would take a while to assess the full extent of the damage to the radar, and whether it was just external or internal as well.
In the meantime, the meteorologists still had “plenty of tools to work with”.
“We’ll continue monitoring conditions using satellite imagery, nearby radar sites, weather stations, and computer models to keep delivering accurate forecasts and severe weather warnings.”
Asked when the radar might be back up and running, Hillyer said it was too soon to tell.
“Don’t end up like our radar, if you hear thunder, head indoors.”
Some weather watches and warnings have been issued for most areas of the South Island and Wellington from late Saturday into Sunday.
