(MENAFN- Live Mint) (Bloomberg) -- Gale-force winds battered parts of New Zealand for the second time in three days Thursday, grounding aircraft and prompting warnings from emergency services for people to take care and avoid travel.

The MetService posted a“Strong Wind Warning - Red” - the highest level - forecasting gusts of as strong as 140 kilometers (87 miles) per hour in Wellington and the nearby Wairarapa region as well as the South Island region of Canterbury. That's after winds hit 130 kilometers per hour in the capital city on Tuesday.

Central and southern New Zealand is being hit by a complex weather system just days after parts of the country were struck by strong northerly winds. The damaging gales and heavy rains have brought down trees, cut power and closed roads as an estimated 100,000 teachers, nurses and other public workers go on strike Thursday over better pay and conditions.

Air New Zealand suspended flights into Wellington while most services to the South Island city of Christchurch are also paused. Commuter trains and ferries across the Wellington harbor were canceled but Cook Strait crossings were still sailing.

Local media reported power outages at the top of the South Island affecting more than 90,000 people.

The storms are the latest example of extreme weather events that have become increasingly common globally because of climate change.

Unusual weather patterns are also affecting parts of Australia. Temperatures at Sydney Airport rose to 38.7C and exceeded 39C in some suburbs Wednesday - the hottest October day on record, while the Age newspaper reported two people were killed after being swept off a pier near Melbourne during high winds.

Wellington City Council closed its libraries, community centers and other facilities, and urged members of the public to stay away from parks and other reserves for their own safety. On Tuesday, a man died after being struck by a falling branch while walking in a wooded area in the city.

A state of local emergency was declared in the South Island region of Canterbury late Wednesday as the weather system closed in. Forecasters reported severe gales and heavy rain overnight in the Canterbury high country with the potential for fallen trees, slips and flooding that have already blocked some roads.

Christchurch City has closed a number of parks and warned citizens to postpone outdoor activities. Local media reported power outages in the Marlborough region at top of the South Island affecting more than 26,000 people.

The weather disruptions coincide with nationwide industrial action Thursday coordinated across a number of unions that represent government workers. However, a number of worker rallies have been called off or moved to indoor venues due to the storms including in Wellington and Christchurch. A march in the largest city Auckland is still proceeding.

Local media estimate 17,000 health workers, 40,000 teachers and more than 36,000 nurses are striking.

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