Whanganui District Council and Horizons Regional Council staff are on standby ahead of predicted bad weather this weekend.
WDC's emergency manager Matthew Smith said staff would be closely monitoring the level of the Whanganui River with heavy rain predicted in the region.
Mr Smith said as of Friday afternoon predictions were below warning levels.
He said the Whanganui River at Pipiriki is currently forecast to peak at a level of 7.1m at 6.30am on Sunday. It takes water around 12 hours to travel from Pipiriki to the Whanganui urban area.
"At 8m initial planning is undertaken for rising river levels," Mr Smith said.