Wild weather has pummelled the New Zealand capital Wellington today, triggering evacuations, school closures and the cancellation of airport and ferry services.

Strong winds, snow and heavy rain are lashing the southerly part of the North Island and a large area on the South Island.

Wellington Region Emergency Management regional spokesperson Dan Neely said the forecasted winds of 140km/h over coming hours could damage trees, powerlines and unsecured structures and could lift roofs.

“With the high winds forecast we may also see a number of trees down which can cause power outages and further hazards on the road.

He said winds were expected to peak at 1pm (3pm AEST) today especially around the south coast of Wellington city and exposed hilltops.

“We are advising people to stay indoors where possible and avoid unnecessary travel. If you need to travel this afternoon or evening, plan ahead as strong winds can make driving hazardous.”

Neely said people should stay away from windows and doors during strong winds, and shelter in the middle of the house preferably in an internal room such as a bathroom.

The country’s MetService has upgraded its Wellington wind warning to red, the highest warning possible.

Residents of the city in the far south of the North Island are being warned to stay away from doors and windows as the highest winds hit.

Wellington Electricity said about 200 were customers were without power, but services were expected to be restored later today.

Many flights in and out of Wellington have been cancelled through to this evening.

“Due to severe high winds in Wellington this morning, majority of our flights into and out of the capital have been cancelled through to 6pm,” Air New Zealand said.

Three Qantas flights were cancelled. These flights were QF161, QF171 and QF195.

“Current conditions are expected to continue impacting our network throughout the day, so we encourage customers travelling to check the Air New Zealand app or the arrivals and departures page on our website for the latest updates.”

Large swells and strong winds have cancelled ferries across the Cook Strait. Interislander cancelled its ferry crossings until Friday afternoon.

MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said waves had already been pretty big in the capital today. He said the Greater Wellington Regional Council had a buoy in the harbour that had recorded a maximum wave height of 11.5 metres.

Meanwhile, in the South Island town of Ashburton 109mm of rain has been recorded in the last 24 hours, MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said.

The town would usually see 82mm in the whole month of May.

“It’s more rain then they get on average in May in 24 hours.”