The same weather system that caused deadly floods and slips in Auckland is today starting to move back over the North Island with watches and warnings in place for the top half of the island.
MetService this morning released satellite imagery showing the deepening low moving towards New Zealand - “here it comes”, the agency said.
Today will be a mixed bag of weather with heavy rain, flooding, thunderstorms, strong winds and monster swells which are expected to rise to 4m.
“It’s the same system that brought the wet weather before [on Friday]. It’s moving back across us as we go through the day and has moved in from the north and west. Places like Northland will see that rainfall first and as we go through the day it [moves] towards parts of Auckland and the Coromandel,” said MetService meteorologist John Law.
🌧Here it comes🌧
— MetService (@MetService) January 30, 2023
Deep, moisture-laden clouds with cold tops mean lots of rain. A deepening low just northwest of the country sinks south overnight, bringing the area of intense rainfall to the far north.
See the 🔺Red & 🟠 Orange Heavy Rain Warnings at https://t.co/qHyE5zzql5 pic.twitter.com/dzndXTG0ft
A red heavy rain warning is already in effect for Northland and MetService reports that the region could see up to 170mm of rain in the north and east.
A red heavy rain warning is also in place for Auckland north of Orewa from 5pm through to 8am tomorrow and for the Coromandel Peninsula from 10pm tonight through to 3pm tomorrow.
“We’re still looking at [getting] pretty high amounts of rainfall, but it’s obviously on top of what we’ve already seen which is why we have gone for those red warnings,” Law said.
There is also an orange heavy rain warning in place for all areas of Auckland south of Orewa from 8pm tonight until 10am tomorrow.
Areas north of Orewa can expect to get up to 140mm of rain about the ranges, with lesser amounts about the coast, while all other areas of Auckland could see up to 80mm.
Localised areas may see downpours of 25 to 40mm/h.
The upper North Island is preparing for more wild weather which is expected to cause high rivers, slips and further flooding. Check @MetService for the latest forecast. Get your place ready this morning before the weather hits: https://t.co/pRUpMT03Lt pic.twitter.com/vjUovkQubv
— National Emergency Management Agency (@NZcivildefence) January 30, 2023
On top of these warnings is a strong wind watch for the city from 6pm to 6am tomorrow.
Auckland Emergency Management (AEM) is warning that the Auckland Harbour Bridge may be closed for some time as a result.
It is also urging people to keep an eye on regular updates via social media channels and information from authorities.
Extra Fire and Emergency New Zealand reinforcements have been brought into the region in preparation for tonight’s bad weather.
Schools and all learning facilities have closed for the week in Auckland and mayor Wayne Brown has urged residents to “stay home” wherever possible as the new system threatens to bring rainfall similar to the deadly deluge on Friday.
A strong wind watch is also already in effect for Northland and a severe thunderstorm watch will come into effect for the region from midday through to 4am tomorrow.
MetService said the thunderstorms will bring localised downpours of 25 to 40 mm/h or possibly more, cause surface and flash flooding, especially around low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips.
It is warning motorists that driving conditions will be hazardous.
Strong wind gusts will be a facet to this significant weather event.
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) January 30, 2023
Modelling, both internal & external, are indicating the potential for locally damaging wind gusts.
These very strong gusts (🔴) will likely be where intense rain or thunderstorms occur. pic.twitter.com/aALLGaXHSk
On top of heavy rain & strong winds forecast over the northeast of the North Island today waves are expected to rise to 4m for a time over these coasts for a time today 🌊
— MetService (@MetService) January 30, 2023
This could exacerbate poor conditions already expected over these regions https://t.co/y7sa5Ofj1O pic.twitter.com/d6jOu2qPKY
MetService has also issued a number of warnings and watches for regions on Wednesday.
Heavy rain warnings are in place for Bay of Plenty west and east of Whakatāne and Gisborne north of Ruatoria.
A heavy rain watch is in place for Waikato from 2am tomorrow until 3pm and around Mt Taranaki from 6am tomorrow until 2am on Thursday.
Law said better weather is on the cards for Auckland from the weekend.
“For the northern parts of the country it does look like the weather improves once we head through towards Saturday and onwards but to get there we have got some fairly unsettled conditions with more heavy rainfall to come as we go through today, Wednesday and Thursday.”
Towards the end of the week, Law said the heavy rain will be pushed down towards the west coast of the South Island.