Bay of Plenty has been lashed with heavy rainfall with flooding closing a part of a state highway this morning.
State Highway 30, between Western Drain Rd and State Highway 2 Awakeri near Whakatāne, has been closed again after further rain according to Waka Kotahi NZTA.
Parts of SH2 Waimana Gorge are down to one lane due to slips and fallen trees. Detours and traffic management are in place and motorists are asked to drive carefully and allow additional time for the detour route.
MetService spokesman Lewis Ferris said Whakatāne received the highest amount of rainfall for the region in the 12 hours leading up to 9am with 95.4mm.
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Advertise with NZME.Rotorua saw 28.6mm recorded at Rotorua Aiport with 20.8mm in Tauranga.
Lewis said the heavy rain warning was forecast to end at 11am today with the rest of the rain looking to clear out of Bay of Plenty shortly after.
"Saturday is off to a dry start but the next weather feature is due to move in from the west towards the end of the day.
"This front brings some rain to the region on Sunday, not too much for the main centres but the eastern ranges will see larger accumulations, as is common for weather systems passing from the west," he said.
Lewis said next week looked to be off to a settled start.
"But by Wednesday we're seeing a substantial difference in how the weather models handle a low-pressure system near the country."
