Bay of Plenty weather: Slips at Maketu, flooding at Paengaroa, power outages, wet weather here to stay

Flooding on Tutea Place in Paengaroa on Sunday. Photo / Leanne Tibble

Weather experts are predicting a wet week ahead in the Bay of Plenty after reports of flooding and a lightning strike that left hundreds without power at the weekend.

A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said it responded to two weather-related incidents in Maketu yesterday.

The first was a power line brought down by a slip on a bank at 12.47pm and the second was flooding in a house at 1.32pm, the spokeswoman said.

A lightning strike caused a power outage in Paengaroa yesterday afternoon, affecting at least 773 properties in Maketu, Little Waihi and Paengaroa.

Surface flooding in Pikowai in the Eastern Bay of Plenty on Sunday. Photo / Pam Gill

MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan said there was “more rain on the way” after Tauranga Airport recorded 83mm of rain between 12pm on Friday and 12pm yesterday.

Waihī and Waihī Beach recorded 90mm during the same period.

By comparison, Whakatāne recorded 25.6mm and Rotorua Airport recorded 18.3mm during that time, Corrigan said.

Corrigan said more rain was expected today throughout the Bay of Plenty, most of which would clear by the afternoon.

“Going into Tuesday, Wednesday, we’re looking at some breaks of blue sky getting in there, the odd shower, but we’re not looking at any steady or persistent rain or anything like that.”

Corrigan said a “low-pressure system” coming from the Tasman Sea on Thursday or Friday could bring further heavy rain to the region.

A MetService severe weather outlook said there was “low confidence” that rainfall amounts would reach warning criteria in the Bay of Plenty west of Whakatāne on Thursday and Friday. Low confidence means there is a 20 per cent likelihood the event will happen.

“There’s a bit of uncertainty exactly when that’s going to arrive because that system hasn’t yet developed in real life. This is what the weather models are predicting at the moment but it’s got room to change in the week ahead between now and then.

“We’ll be keeping everyone informed about that.”