Red Warnings For Heavy Rain In Westland And Buller

After consultation with local Regional Councils and Civil Defence the Orange Warnings for Heavy Rain in Westland and Buller have been upgraded to MetService Red Warnings. The significant rain accumulations will cause disruptions across the regions that saw similar heavy rain events in July 2021 and February 2022.

MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris says, “An extended period of persistent, heavy rain is likely to cause major disruption around northern and western parts of the South Island. The ranges of Buller and Westland could see 350-600mm of rain over a 56 hour period ending Thursday afternoon/evening. Areas will likely exceed their total average August rainfall during this period.”

The Tasman Ranges could see even larger accumulations of rain and are currently under an Orange Warning but there is still potential for an upgrade to a Red Warning for this area.

“Even if river levels are currently normal, the intensity of rain to come will mean these quickly rise and extreme caution is advised. Delays on the roading network are also to be expected. Closer to the coast the highest risk of flooding comes when the tides are high. Communities are at risk of being isolated,” adds Ferris.

Rainfall rates are forecast to peak on Wednesday, but the rain lingers into Thursday. There is a brief respite on Friday, however rain looks to return by the end of day and bring further rain into the weekend. Keep up with the forecast and follow advice of local authorities.

“While the biggest impacts are expected within the Red Warning area, bear in mind that surrounding regions will also need to be on alert as large amounts of rain falling near the mountain tops can cause rivers to rise in areas not under a Heavy Rain Warning. The rain is accompanied by a warmer than normal airmass which will likely lead to snowmelt which will further increase the water draining into rivers,” cautions Ferris.

Severe Weather Watches and Orange Warnings are also in force for Heavy Rain and Strong Winds around the North Island.

This is the eighth Red Warning MetService has issued since the colour coded system was introduced in 2019. MetService Red Warnings are reserved for the most disruptive weather events and are only issued after consultation with the local Regional Council and Civil Defence.

Get the most up to date forecast here: http://bit.ly/AllWarnings

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