Heavy rain is making driving tough across a swathe of New Zealand, and Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency is warning people to take care.
Even though the rain has subsided in some areas, drivers may encounter damaged road surfaces, Waka Kotahi said.
“Deterioration caused by sudden and heavy rainfall has potentially affected highways in Northland, the Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and the top of the South Island.”
Temporary speed limits and lane closures are in place in several locations.
At the top of the South Island, heavy rain is building, with a number of homes evacuated and roads closed as motorists face dangerous driving conditions.
River flows are forecast to become well above normal to extremely high.
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) May 6, 2023
Risk for river flooding is greatest where extremely high flows occur (🟣). pic.twitter.com/7ku6LJ8Wkw
According to Nelson Tasman Civil Defence, State Highway 6 between Havelock and Hira has re-opened.
“Because of the ongoing bad weather and flooding, drivers must take care on this route.”
“Please drive to the conditions and be prepared for hazards - such as slips, rock and treefalls and localised flooding.”
Waka Kotahi regional manager for the lower North Island/top of the South, Mark Owen, said State Highway 60, between Tākaka and Collingwood, has re-opened after earlier being closed due to flooding.
“That’s good news for locals, but problems remain, with localised flooding and slips affecting the highway at multiple locations between Tasman and Tākaka. Temporary speed limits and lane closures are in place.”
Meanwhile, State Highway 6 remains closed between Havelock and the Rai Valley.
This means the only route between Marlborough and Nelson is via State Highway 63 and St Arnaud.
“A slip on State Highway 6 near Spooners Tunnel has reduced the highway to one lane. Our contractors also say fog means visibility in the area is bad. We are also closely monitoring an old slip on State Highway 6, Atawhai Drive.”
Local authorities said those evacuated from their homes overnight had been able to take refuge in a Civil Defence centre set up in Motueka.
Marlborough District Council said the region’s Emergency Management team had met this morning with all of Marlborough’s responding agencies.
“The Emergency Operations Centre has not been activated, but the situation is being monitored by various agencies and Marlborough District Council teams on the ground,” the council said.
Jacksons Road is closed between SH62/Rapaura Road and Old Renwick Road.
SH6 has re-opened, while Kaiuma Bay Road and Te Hoiere Road are closed.
“Rainfall continues to affect roads in Marlborough - the good news is, current rainfall levels are forecast to be lighter this afternoon.”
Flooding has closed SH6 between Havelock and Rai Valley and some local roads are flooded.
Drivers should delay travel or use an alternative route between Marlborough and Nelson, via State Highway 63 and St Arnaud.
Old Renwick Road is closed at the ford near Renwick, and Duncan Bay access is via 4WD only.
“There have been no reports of any serious problems on Sounds’ local roads so far today.”
“The Wairau Diversion freedom camping site and nearby Thomas Road are closed for at least 24 hours. They may stay closed if the forecast for next Tuesday becomes a concern. People should keep away from river reserves around the region.”
“Heavy rain overnight was concentrated in the Rai Valley, Te Hoiere/Pelorus and Upper Wairau catchments, with rain easing off over the past few hours.”
“While the forecast is for lighter rain this afternoon into this evening, there are possible showers in the northwest of the region through to midday Sunday.”
Te Hoiere/Pelorus River at the campground had a peak flow of just over 1,000m3/s at 10.00am this morning, with the Rai River nearing peak flow at midday, just above 400m3/s. Low tide at Havelock at 3pm this afternoon should help the water drain away fairly quickly.
The Branch and Goulter tributaries in the Upper Wairau had peak flow before 6.00am this morning, and the Wairau River at SH1 is expected to peak at around 2,000 m3/s this afternoon. The river flow is well below the SH1 river bridge.
Rivers are forecast to peak about now but are expected to drop fairly quickly after that. The Taylor River in Blenheim CBD is still 350 millimetres below the level recorded prior to weed-cutting starting last Sunday.
Meanwhile, in Auckland, where wet weather hampered both the morning and evening commute yesterday, today is set for rain and clouds, MetService said.
Temperatures in the city are expected to hit 21C with a low of 17C. MetService said the tropical air which was bringing the rain also made for unusually warm and humid conditions for May.
“Several spots across the motu have even had their warmest May temperatures on record. These include Auckland, Hamilton, Whanganui and Queenstown,” MetService said.
But with the muggy weather came torrential downpours for Northland and Taranaki.
Roads started flooding across Northland, particularly in the Far North yesterday, and access on more roads was restricted due to fallen trees, slips and washouts.
Two police officers kneeled in floodwaters to clear out a blocked drain by hand, successfully draining the inundation on one street.
This weekend’s headlines (x3): Heavy rain upper SI, Warming up eastern SI, Weather on Sunday https://t.co/xnBfLHZhtV via @weatherwatchnz
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) May 5, 2023
MetService had issued an overnight orange heavy rain warning for Northland, where up to 100mm of rain had been likely to fall over 21 hours from 9am yesterday to 6am today.
But Civil Defence Northland this morning declared the inclement weather to have eased.
“There are still some areas with surface flooding, especially up in the Far North, so please continue to drive carefully and be mindful of the conditions,” it said.
“Sandhills Rd remains closed due to surface flooding, but the rest of the previously closed roads are now open with some restrictions.”
Up to 130mm had also been expected to fall around Mt Taranaki over 24 hours from yesterday morning until 9am today, where an orange heavy rain warning was also in place.
“Waka Kotahi contractors are closely monitoring the State Highway network and responding to clear slips and repair damaged road surfaces as quickly as possible.”
“But with the bad weather set to continue into next week, drivers are urged to slow down and be on the lookout for damaged road surfaces, as well as potentially hazardous slips, branches or other material on the roads.”
The organisation is urging people to check its Highway Conditions map for up-to-date road closures and highway maps.
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