Wind, rain hammer Hawke’s Bay
Just when you thought winter had disappeared, it’s staying for longer.
The North Island is receiving a battering of wind and rain with several weather warnings and watches in place, thanks to two lows moving across the country this week.
A sodden Hawke’s Bay was treated to a brief intermission from the rain before it picked up again late yesterday afternoon with Hawke’s Bay Airport’s rain gauge catching 35 millimetres within 24 hours.
The settlement of Te Pohue, on the Napier-Taupo Rd, had experienced more than 53mm of rainfall while a rain gauge at Waipoapoa, 37 kilometres from Hastings, recorded more than 70mm.
Napier resident Liv Flynn described her journey on SH5 back to Hawke’s Bay as ‘‘horrible’’ and urged other drivers to take care.
‘‘Wind and rain was hammering the ute, large branches down from trees, a large landslide . . . mud all over the road,’’ Flynn said.
‘‘It’s extremely hazardous with the weather.’’
Hawke’s Bay has a heavy rain warning in place until 5pm today.
It wasn’t just the northern parts of the North Island experiencing wet weather, rain was also forecast for Wellington.
Earlier, MetService meteorologist Sarah Haddon told Stuff periods of rain were expected to develop in the capital late yesterday and would continue today.
A spokesperson from the NZTA encouraged drivers to check the journey map on their website for any delays or road closures on state highways.