Source: Radio New Zealand
Flooding oustide Wellington Hospital on Monday morning. RNZ / Rachel Helyer-Donaldson
Torrential rain that hit Wellington overnight caused flooding in several suburbs and in parts of the central city.
Emergency vehicles are out around the city, with pictures showing large amounts of water flowing along main routes, including along Adelaide road in Berhampore.
One resident described flooding on Ohiro road in Brooklyn as basically a new river forming on the road.
The Transport Agency issued a warning about flooding on the section of State Highway 1 in the city from the Terrace Tunnel to the Basin Reserve.
Flooding at Wellington Hospital on Monday. RNZ / Rachel Helyer-Donaldson
MetService has issued a warning of severe thunderstorms moving towards southern Wellington.
These severe thunderstorms were are expected to lie near near Wellington, Karori, Makara, Khandallah, Ngaio, Miramar, Wellington Airport, Island Bay, Brooklyn and Hataitai at 05:37 am
Flooding in central Wellington on Monday morning. RNZ / Rachel Helyer-Donaldson
More orange weather warnings and yellow watches have been issued for Monday as a low pressure system crossed the country overnight.
Heavy rain and flooding in the weekend led to states of local emergency declared in the small town of Ōhura, Ruapehu District as well as the Whanganui District.
Multiple roads and highways were closed across the North Island due to flooding and slips.
On Sunday evening, an orange warning for heavy rain was in place for the Hutt Valley, wider Wellington Region south of Tawa, Wairarapa, Tararua ranges and southern Tararua District – for 31 hours from 11 am on Monday.
Falls of up to 120mm were expected, but could be up to 250mm about the ranges, and peak rates of 40mm/h were possible in localised areas.
Parts of the South Island – in and around the Kaikōura Coast and ranges, as well as North Canterbury ranges east of Lake Sumner – could see nearly 130mm of rain between 10pm Sunday night and 11pm Monday.
Meteorologist Katie Lyons said a swirling low pressure system to the west of motu was tracking eastward across the country overnight.
“As that low – tonight and tomorrow – tracks eastwards, winds will flip around south-easterly and that’s why we’re seeing those eastern regions like Wairarapa and the Kaikōura coast under those heavy rain warnings.
“As those winds flip around we’ll get rain continuing there as well as periods of heavy rain. Often when we get the combination of the longer lived rainfall with periods of heavy falls that’s when we see those impacts,” Lyons said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
