The big wet in Waimate – 130mm on one day
Heavy rain across South Canterbury on Saturday caused surface flooding in some places, with a Waimate station receiving the most rainfall in the country on that day.
The wet weather also meant the cancellation of some events, while others carried on with attendance numbers affected by the rain.
MetService meteorologist Jessie Owen said yesterday the Waimate Forest station experienced some of the highest rainfall in the country over the previous 48 hours.
‘‘A few stations in the Canterbury High Country got 85 to 90 millimetres of rain, but a station at Geraldine Forest got to 122mm,’’ she said.
‘‘But a Waimate Forest Station recorded 137mm of rainfall.
‘‘That was the highest level of rainfall in the country on Saturday.’’
Owen said the Waimate area had three times its average November rainfall in one day on Saturday.
More wet conditions are expected for South Canterbury over the next week, with a low circling, and a rain front from the West Coast. ‘‘Monday will be cloudy in the morning, with afternoon showers, a high of 22C and a low of 9,’’ she said.
The rest of the week should be the same, apart from heavy rain in Timaru on Saturday.
Over the next few days the Canterbury High Country may see some stronger rain and potential thunder storms, she said.
‘‘At this stage, Timaru looks like it’s a pretty good spot to be in over the next couple of days.’’
Meanwhile, the heavy rain forced the cancellation of the Geraldine Farmers’ Market on Saturday morning, but a couple of hardy souls were still going to be set up at the site, a social media post from the group says.
At the Timaru Farmers’ Market, some stallholders joined forces to shelter together and sell their wares, while the rain fell.
The Magpie Madness motorcycle rally, in Winchester, also low attendance numbers, with organisers blaming the bad weather.
The rain also prompted caution, with the Waimate District Council urging motorists to drive to the conditions on Saturday, with heavy rain falling in most parts of the district, it said on a social media post.
It also caused the temporary shut down of the Hook-Waituna Rural Water Supply, the Cannington-Moukaika Rural Water Scheme and the Waikakahi Rural Water Scheme, because of the deterioration of water quality at the source because of recent rainfall.
Consumers on the Waikakahi Rural Water Scheme were also reminded to continue to boil all drinking water, the council says.
On Thursday evening, a ‘‘very heavy’’ burst of rain caused flash flooding through the township of Twizel.