A cyclist negotiates wild weather which caused flooding along Tamaki Drive in Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs, NZ Herald
A cyclist negotiates wild weather which caused flooding along Tamaki Drive in Auckland. Photo / Brett Phibbs, NZ Herald
Road closures this morning: • Hikaui Settlement Rd, Coromandel • Tairua Rd, Coromandel • State Highway 25 Tairua to Whangamata in Duck Creek area • State Highway 60 Takaka Hill, Nelson
Heavy rain lashing the North Island is set to ease by midday - but there's more wet weather on the radar this week.
Gales and rain have hammered the country overnight and this morning, with a slip hitting a car near Piha and a fallen tree blocking State Highway 27 near Matamata in the storm.
Firefighters were called to a roof lifting off a building in Tauranga and emergency services are at an incident where a roof lifted off a home in Papamoa.
Ten firefighters and three fire engines have been dispatched on standby to the South Island's West Coast, in case severe weather hits.
Auckland has clocked gales gusting up to 90km/h so far with about 55mm of rain recorded over the last 24 hours - almost double yesterday's rainfall figures.
Some of the heaviest falls saw 9mm accumulate in one hour.
But MetService meteorologist Hannah Moes said the stormy weather was set to ease for the city by about 12pm with cloud, showers and fine periods throughout the rest of the day.
Waikato Police are urging motorists to use extreme care on roads in the eastern part of the district where a number of Coromandel roads and schools are closed.
Senior Sergeant Andrew Townsend said SH2 at the Karangahake Gorge between Paeroa and Waihi is being assessed due to rising river levels
Update @ 122pm - SH23 closed, and pretty dodgy in some other parts. If youre drivin: Calm your farm and SLOW DOWN!! pic.twitter.com/OcxXPYI8nn
"At this stage Hikuai Settlement Rd into Hikuai is closed due to flooding until further notice as is Tairua Rd into Tairua.
"SH25 Tairua to Whangamata is also flooded and the road has been closed in the Duck Creek area, our advice is to delay or avoid travelling in the area if at all possible.
"East Coast Rd to Kaiaua is also flooded in a number of places.
The impact the rain has had on Tapu-Coroglen Rd, north of Thames. Photo / Supplied via Rachel Henwood
"We also have reports of minor slips on the Thames Coast and Kopu-Hikuai Roads but they remain open at this stage."
"These include but may not be limited to; the Tairua-Pauanui- Hikuai Thames High School Bus, the Tairua-Opoutere Area School bus and the Whangamata-Opoutere school bus run.
Tamaki Drive is down to one lane in each direction due to flooding - with more water expected on the road as high tide hits at 9am.
Newstalk ZB has reported traffic is backed up 5 km along Tamaki Drive following the road closure.
#Tamaki drive has now been re-opened by emergency services in #Auckland
New Zealand Transport Agency Auckland and Northland spokeswoman Sarah Azam said the agency was monitoring the situation closely.
"We're closely monitoring the situation, we're working with contractors to resolve issues as soon as we can...obviously the weather is marginal and where possible we've got signs up for motorists to take extra care," she said.
There are still about 64 homes without power in Kumeu after a tree on the power lines cut electricity to 1200 customers until about 2am this morning, Vector spokeswoman Sandy Hodge said.
The wild weather is heading south, with snow and severe windstorms expected to batter western areas of the South Island today.
MetService has issued a severe weather warning for heavy rain in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Nelson as well as strong wind warnings in Nelson, Buller and Westland.
WeatherWatch said the heaviest rain had been between Whangarei and Auckland so far but heavy downpours would intensify as the front moved towards Waikato.
Commuters might want to leave at least 15 minutes early, the service said.
"There may be surface water on the highways and minor to moderate surface flooding. There is also a chance of isolated flash flooding in the heaviest downpours," WeatherWatch said.
• Rain in Auckland: 55mm in 24 hours • Most rain in one hour in Auckland: 9mm at 7am • Most rain: Kopu East, 167.7mm in 24 hours • Strongest gales: gusting 87km/h in the Hauraki Gulf
Today's forecast:
• Whangarei: Heavy rain, fine spells. High 19C Low • Auckland: Heavy rain with strong northeasterly until noon then fine. High 17C • Hamilton: Rain until midday northwesterly change, then fine spells. High 16C • Tauranga: Heavy rain, strong northeasterly until afternoon. High 17C • Wellington: Rain easing to showers. Gusty southeasterly then strong northerly. High 13C • Christchurch: Drizzle turning to rain. Easterlies. High 10C • Dunedin: Drizzle, turning to rain. High 9C
Tomorrow's forecast:
• Whangarei: Cloudy periods, chance of showers. High 19C • Auckland: Occasional showers, more frequent in evening. High 18C • Hamilton: Showers turning to rain. High 17C • Tauranga: Fine spells, odd shower. Rain afternoon. High 17C • Wellington: Occasional showers, northerlies dying out. High 14C • Christchurch: Periods of rain, Southwesterlies developing. High 12C.
