Weather: West Coast faces heavy rain warning as flooding closes roads; Eastern North Island tipped for 30C Saturday

“It is not unusual for these areas to receive these amounts of rainfall; however, as always, we need to be closely monitoring and ready to activate if need be, particularly for the Westland district,” said West Coast Emergency Management manager Claire Brown.

“Members of the public are advised to keep up to date with weather information as rivers may rise quickly, surface flooding and slips are possible and driving conditions could be hazardous.”

Police last night asked people in southern Westland to avoid travel overnight as flooding had closed roads in the Haast area.

“There are a number of roads in the area with surface flooding, which are being closed by contractors.

“High tide is due overnight so people are asked to be extra cautious.”

In an update at 7pm last night, the West Coast Regional Council said no Westland rivers had reached first stage alarms but it expected this to happen overnight.

It said it was keeping an eye on four key rivers: Arawhata River, Waiho River, Wanganui River and Hokitika River.

MetService heavy rain warnings remain in effect for the Westland District and Canterbury Headwaters south of Arthur’s Pass until 3pm this afternoon. MetService warned of peak rainfall rates of 25-35mm/h and a low to moderate chance of it being upgraded to a red warning.

A warning came into effect for Grey and Buller districts at 1am today and will lapse at 9pm.

MetService advised streams and rivers may rise. Surface flooding and slips were possible as well as hazardous driving conditions.

“These are substantial numbers, even for the West Coast, so it’s certainly worth preparing in advance by moving stock and planning for potential travel restrictions,” said MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan.

Meanwhile, other parts of New Zealand are set for a scorching weekend, with eastern parts of the North Island tipped to hit 30C.

“Some spots in Hawke’s Bay may even crack 30C on Saturday for the first time since last summer,” Corrigan said.

“The last time Hastings recorded a temperature over 30 was the 24th of February at the end of last summer with 30.8C.”

Niwa meteorologist Chris Brandolino said parts of the country were looking at “pretty impressive” warmth.

Other areas in the North Island, such as Hamilton and Northland, will also see highs in the low-to-mid-20s today.

Auckland is tipped for a mainly fine day, but showers may develop around midday. MetService predicted a high of 23C and a low of 15C.

Corrigan said rain on the West Coast would ease while travelling up the country to the lower North Island on Sunday.

“Warning amounts” of rain for these regions were not expected.

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