Elton John concert canceled due to severe weather in New Zealand

Torrential rain and severe weather in Auckland disrupted the entire city and Sir Elton John’s concert was canceled shortly before it began.

Around 40,000 people are expected to attend the evening concert at Mt Smart Stadium in New Zealand’s largest city.

Thousands of people were at the venue when organizers decided to cancel shortly before Sir Elton took the stage at 7:30pm.

The concert is considered Sir Elton’s last farewell tour.

Frontier Touring, one of the concert organizers, tweeted that the concert was canceled due to unsafe weather conditions.

Many spectators who defied the conditions were disappointed that the decision was not made a few hours earlier.

The MetService weather agency has warned of flash flooding and dangerous driving conditions across the city.

On Friday night, transport authorities closed part of Highway 1, the main road that bisects Auckland.

Videos posted online show waist-deep water in some places, and authorities are asking residents in flood-prone areas to be prepared in case they need to evacuate.

Lawmaker Ricardo Menendez posted a video of water flooding into homes.

“We just had to evacuate our house as the water rose rapidly and came in violently,” he wrote on Twitter.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it received more than 1,000 calls for help, many of which came from people with flooded properties.

The agency urges callers to clear the line for those in immediate danger.

Unseasonal weather has also caused some flights to be delayed or cancelled.

Video of the day

Auckland Airport said it had reduced runway operations after an incoming plane damaged runway lights.

The airport wrote on Twitter: “This largely affects international arrivals and departures as well as larger domestic aircraft.

“Our maintenance team is on site and working to repair the damage.”

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown told Radio New Zealand: “We need the rain to stop. That is the main problem.”