MORE BAD WEATHER FORECAST FOR SOUTH ISLAND THIS WEEKEND
Dunedin:
Parts of South Island still mopping up after last weekend’s floods could be in for more of the same from tonight, MetService warned.
The agency issued a severe weather watch yesterday for Canterbury, along with North Otago, for heavy rain and snow. The two regions were inundated last weekend, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of homes. Oamaru recorded its wettest day since records began, receiving 161mm of rain in a 24-hour period, while Christchurch received 167 per cent of its normal July rainfall in a single weekend. MetService has issued a warning for heavy snow for inland Canterbury, including the Mackenzie Basin, and for heavy rain on the West Coast Up to 50mm of rain could fall in Canterbury and North Otago this afternoon. The agency warned significant rainfall was possible in areas that had already been flooded. “Although amounts here are not expected to be excessive they could still cause further localised surface flooding and slips.” Meteorologist Andy Best said a cold front was rapidly moving up the country, bring “a very strong blast of Antarctic air”.
As the front moved further north, the areas around Ruapehu, Taupo, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne could all expect heavy rain from tomorrow, Mr Best said.
The rough weather would start to clear in the South Island, moving north, from tomorrow - but it would come with a cold “sting in its tail”, Mr Best said. Temperatures could plunge as low as -5°C in Wanaka, -6°C in Queenstown and -3°C in Dunedin and an extremely chilly -13°C at Mt Cook Village, he said.