A vehicle drives through a large puddle on Edmund Rd. Photo / Andrew Warner
A vehicle drives through a large puddle on Edmund Rd. Photo / Andrew Warner
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for the Bay of Plenty.
Early morning drivers in the Bay of Plenty are urged to take care on the road Monday as MetService meteorologist Ngaire Wotherspoon said the thunderstorm is expected to cause heavy rain for commuters.
The Bay of Plenty stillhas “some severe weather on the way”, Wotherspoon said.
Rain is expected to fall for five hours from 1am to 6am. Heavy rain with thunderstorms and isolated downpours are expected. According to the Met Service rainfall of this intensity can cause surface or flash flooding, “especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips”.
MetService warns driving conditions will also be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain.
“For places in those more eastern areas there is still going to be some rain around in the morning, although the heaviest stuff should have passed at that point,” Wotherspoon said.
The weather watch follows a heavy rain event last week. The MetService issued an “orange” heavy rain warning to Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty on Thursday for a tropically-fulled disturbance that caused heavy downpours and mild thunderstorms on Friday morning.
Rotorua Lakes Council issued a warning on their Facebook warning residents to prepare for the predicted heavy rain. The council advised residents that sandbags could be bought from local hardware stores.
Some residents commenting on the Rotorua Daily Post Facebook page had shared concerns the Ngongotahā Stream would flood. During Friday’s heavy rain, the Ngongotahā Stream reached a height of about 0.5m but it did not overflow.
The council had also warned people to clear their drains in preparation for severe weather and contractor crews were checking and clearing grates around the district on Friday. Areas that needed assistance with surface flooding included Clayton Rd, Kahu St/Malfroy Rd West intersection, Miro St, Wikaraka St and Shirley St.
Rotorua Lakes Council expects clean-up crews to continue work on Monday. Fallen trees at Lake Okareka on Acacia Rd and Paradise Valley Rd were scheduled to be cleared.
Surface flooding on Whirinaki Valley Rd between Waikaukau Rd and Nicholson Rd was also scheduled to be cleared on Monday.
Police clear large debris along Paradise Valley Rd in Rotorua after heavy rain fell overnight.
In the Eastern Bay of Plenty, police cleared a blockage due to a large slip along State Highway 2 at Pikowai, near Matatā, on Friday evening.
Diversions were put in place at the intersections of SH 2/Arawa Rd and SH 2/Otamarakau Valley Rd.
