Weekend weather: Heavy rain forecast for North Island’s east coast, rainfall warnings issued

Residents of the east coast of the North Island are being asked to prepare as up to a month’s worth of rain will hit the region this weekend.

Heavy rain warnings are in place for Hawke’s Bay north of Napier and Tairāwhiti/Gisborne, lasting for 30 hours until tomorrow morning.

Between 120mm and 180mm worth of rain is expected to fall with peak rates of 10 to 15 mm/h, and a warning of surface flooding, slips and hazardous driving conditions.

Parts of Hawke's Bay & Gisborne are likely to see near, or more than, a month's worth of rain (for November) this weekend.

Bigger bars = bigger rainfall amounts forecast. pic.twitter.com/aWCaDa5aXV

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) November 23, 2023

MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said people should be prepared for heavy rain and a miserable Saturday.

“If you don’t need to be going out, don’t. People should heed an orange rain warning,” he said.

Ferris blamed the wet weather and expected low temperatures on a cold front that has moved over the country, bringing chilly air directly from Antarctica.

“It has moved quite quickly and there hasn’t been much heating from the ocean,” he said.

Tolaga Bay East Coast and Tairāwhiti Civil Defence officials have posted warnings for their communities.

Tairāwhiti Civil Defence posted that the heavy rain watch for parts of Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti/Gisborne has been upgraded to orange warnings.

“People are advised to keep up to date with the latest forecasts in case any changes are made.

“Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous.”

In a Facebook post yesterday, officials said: “Just a reminder to sort your supplies for the weekend this morning. Things are expected to turn ugly this afternoon.”

For the rest of the country, Ferris said most of the sporadic rain showers and southerly winds should have passed across the South Island and residents could expect a clear but cold weekend.

Looking beyond the East Coast’s heacy rain warnings, there will be showers sprinkled around the rest of the North Island, Ferris said.

“Sunday generally looks a bit clearer, outside of those warning areas.

“Generally it looks to be a bit cooler around much of the country, but it could hit the mid-20s in Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes on Sunday,” Ferris said.

Ferris said those attending the Wellington Phoenix football double-header at Go Media Stadium this afternoon should take a coat.

“There will be a chill to the air and the risk of a shower around game time, but there is still a decent chance it will be dry.”