No respite from wet weather

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Another severe weather warning for the district has been issued by MetService as the rain keeps coming.

The latest rain is being delivered by a slow-moving trough embedded in a moist northeasterly flow.

MetService warns this should continue to bring heavy rain to Gisborne through to early tomorrow morning and an Orange-rated heavy rain warning remains in force.

The latest forecast says to expect a further 70 to 100mm of rain to accumulate from Tolaga Bay north on top of what has already fallen, and another 40 to 70mm elsewhere. Peak rates of 15 to 25mm an hour can be expected in that area.

In the 24 hours up to 9am today, between 30 and 40mm fell in in the hills immediately to the northeast of Gisborne.

Varying amounts up to 30mm fell over the rest of the district in the same period.

The rain is intensifying further north.

It has been a wet week with seven-day totals reaching over 100mm in the top half of the region. The gauge at the Karakatuwhero River near Hicks Bay has recorded over 136mm. The rest of the district south of Te Puia has had seven-day totals ranging from 50 to 100mm.

MetService’s extended outlook says the weather should clear by Tuesday but after a brief respite, the rain returns, along with cold southerlies through to the following weekend. — RH