Emergency management staff on standby for wet weekend in Whanganui

Recent dry conditions may lead to surface flooding as seen in Whanganui late last year. Photo / Lewis Gardner

The Horizons Regional Council emergency management team will keep a close eye on the weather over the long weekend.

The staff met on Friday to discuss the weather warning in place for parts of the region.

While Horizons' river modelling does not forecast any significant flood events in the major catchments, staff are ready to respond if required.

Horizons chief executive Michael McCartney said he appreciated that those who experienced flooding prior to Christmas might feel anxious with rain on the way.

"I'd like to reassure our communities that work has been done behind the scenes to make sure we're ready if we need to be," he said.

"People may see some surface flooding or run-off due to the ground being hard after all this hot weather we've been having. However, our river systems have the capacity to deal with what rain we are expecting over the weekend and we will also be keeping an eye on the situation going into next week."

Up-to-date information on river heights and rainfall is available via Horizons 24 hour toll-free Waterline 0508 4 FLOOD or via the website horizons.govt.nz

Updates will also be posted to the Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence Facebook page.