Spring ending on a wet note
Most of New Zealand will be covered in rain during the downhill sprint to summer.
It is just another addition to the wacky weather of spring 2018: highs over 30 degrees Celcius, a couple of snowfalls, and during the final week of the season there’s a chance of a second spate of flooding.
MetService meteorologist Ravi Kandula said the country would get drenched today, especially the east coast of the South Island.
He noted for the North Island that Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, and
Taupo seemed likely to get a ‘‘heavy rain scenario’’.
Other parts of the island would have showers. However, in the South Island, the rain was predicted to pour down on North Otago, Canterbury and eastern Marlborough from early today right through until late tomorrow – Christchurch, however, was expected to avoid the worst of it.
In Timaru, where rain and wind earlier in the week caused problems on roads and brought down trees, the council warned there could be flooding and slips
in already saturated ground. Canterbury Civil Defence Emergency Management said the weather looked likely to be a bit of a challenge for the next few days, with chances of surface flooding, road and water supply issues.
Latest Niwa information shows a chunk of the South Island east coast from Dunedin north to near Timaru – and stretching well inland – has had more than four times the usual rainfall for this stage in November.