Warning after 140km/h winds forecast

CITY LIGHTS: Phone-cam man Ben Simmond's images of Thursday evening's lightning, as seen from Kennedy Rd, Napier.

Thunder, lightning and hail at night, a hot summery day which was cool for anyone in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now a forecast for winds up to 140km/h.

The climate's dishing everything at Hawke's Bay, and with a hail warning out of the way with apparently little or no damage, a severe weather warning is now in place, causing a postponement of a weekend flying camp and warnings about driving on Hawke's Bay highways today.

The three-day Air Training Corps flying camp was to have started yesterday at Bridge Pa, near Hastings. It has been rescheduled for December 5-7.

The decision was applauded last night by MetService forecaster Andy Downs, who was expecting little change in the weather from that predicted in a severe weather warning issued for Hawke's Bay and northern Wairarapa earlier in the day.

"If you're flying in the sort of turbulence that comes off the Kawekas and the Ruahine Ranges it is pretty nasty," he said.

"The region is used to some fairly big winds, but these are just a little extra special."

While the warning covers the weekend, Mr Downs said from Wellington the most severe winds were expected late-morning today, particularly south of Hastings and including Waipukurau, where the big event is the Central Hawke's Bay A&P Show.

As a result he said motorists with vans, motor homes, trucks and other higher-sided vehicles were best to keep away from the highways.

State Highway 2, across the Takapau Plains, which was closed for several hours when a truck crashed in high winds in one incident earlier this year, would be a particular risk, he said, adding: "It is up to motorists to heed the conditions."

Commenting on the prospects for the A&P Show, he said: "Waipukurau will see some pretty nasty winds."

As the show staged a junior riders' event, a human showjump and two-person horse and quadbike teams race last night, show secretary Julia Tatam wasn't bothered, saying it had been a good and busy opening day, and she wasn't listening to the forecasts. "Everyone's happy," she said.

The forecast came just after a Thursday night featuring a classic but short lightning display, with booming thunder, and localised hail.

Mr Downs said: "We are getting quite a volatile spring."