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A severe storm watch has been lifted after being in effect for most of the country.
Between 1:00 p.m. M. And 3:00 p.m. M., 1636 lightning strikes were counted across the country, and MetService warned there was more to come.
Jim and Vicky Pollard / Supplied
Huge storm cloud looms over Timaru Saturday night.
Meanwhile, heavy rains and hail have led to flooding in the South Island, leading to road closures.
Hail fell on the Waitaki district in the afternoon, hitting Timaru in the north for about five minutes.
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New Zealand Fire and Emergencies (Fenz) shift manager Jill Higginson said fire crews were on standby at Waimate, between Queen and Glasgow streets, waiting for the rain to subside before clearing the floods.
Value Village owner Suzie Paulin said she had been placing towels under her store doors to prevent water from entering.
He said the water was almost knee-high.
“The whole city is under a lot of water.”
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
Fire crews are ready to pump water from Waimate’s Main Street Sunday afternoon.
The Bay of Plenty had experienced heavy and persistent rains.
The floods closed State Highway 2 near Whakatāne, between Kutarere and Taneatua. There was no detour available and drivers were asked to avoid the area.
On nearby Waiotahi Valley Rd, flooding blocked the road, with smaller cars nearly submerged, according to a driver.
There was also a landslide on the road in Waimana Gorge, between Taneatua and Waimana.
Road closures still affected many parts of Otago and motorists were urged to check conditions before heading anywhere.
Rachael Comer / Stuff
Dark clouds over Timaru on Sunday afternoon.
Police confirmed that rescuers found two homeless people reported late at Jubilee Hut, north of Dunedin, in the heart of the heavy rain zone, at 4 a.m. Sunday.
They were airlifted to Dunedin around 10 a.m.
MetService Meteorologist Tom Adams said the rain, concentrated in northern Otago and parts of Canterbury, was caused by a slow decline engulfed in semitropical air.
Rain gauges and rain radar showed heavy downpours in the 36 hours to midnight Saturday with a “significant number” of places registering 100 millimeters to 200 millimeters in that period.
A rain gauge between Dunedin and Ōamaru registered 214 mm.
The weather system moved east of the South Island on Sunday morning, but it was not leaving room for blue skies.
The localized downpours appeared in small groups along the east coast of the South Island, where a severe storm watch was maintained Sunday night.
There were downpours near Timaru, Waimate and Dunedin, MetService forecaster Tuporo Marsters said, adding that Sunday’s weather was much better than the day before.
He said Monday would be another improvement for much of the east coast of the South Island.
Overall it would be fine for Timaru and Wanaka, while Dunedin and Oamaru would be cloudy, with some rain. Downtown Otago was expected to have afternoon showers, he said.
Lyn Dolly / Supplied
Heavy rains flooded Ruru St in Whangamatā.
Three state highways remained closed in Otago on Sunday: SH90 from Waikoikoi to Tapanui, SH87 from Kyeburn to Outram and SH83 from Otematata to Aviemoredue.
Numerous local roads were also affected by surface flooding, slipping, landslides and debris.
“As people look forward to resuming their travels this morning, we encourage them to check road conditions before departing, abide by all road closures and detours, and allow extra time to navigate to their destination,” said Matt. Alley, controller for Emergency Management Otago Group said.
Middlemarch residents were asked not to flush their toilets until further notice after a power outage Sunday afternoon.
Dunedin City Council (DCC) said a lightning strike cut power to Middlemarch around 2.30pm, but it was restored shortly after 7pm. Toilets can now be flushed.
Flood and sewage surcharges have affected the community’s drinking water and residents are only advised to drink borehole water if it has been filtered.
A water tanker was installed in the Strath Taieri Community Room.
SCOTT HATTON / Supplied
Lightning strikes Avondale, Auckland, on Sunday.
Some councils had also issued boil water advisories for communities whose water supplies had been affected by the floods, including Otematata and Duntroon in the Waitaki district, while those in the Waihemo area were asked to conserve the water. Water.
The Waitaki District Council also closed the Kakanui Bridge after engineers raised concerns about the water load created by a log jam.
“As more debris continues to hit the log jam, the impact is felt through the entire structure and the water level will need to drop before equipment can be brought in to start cleaning this up.”
The bridge was closed to cyclists, motorists and pedestrians until equipment could be brought in and the log jam was cleared. There was a detour available.
Supplied / Stuff
Roads and bridges in central Otago have been closed due to flooding from heavy rains. In the photo: Scotts Lane was closed due to flooding.
Meanwhile, a harsh slow motion was bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms to Bay of Plenty and Kawerau, with downpours of up to 40mm per hour possible.
“Rains of this intensity can cause surface and / or flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas such as streams, rivers, or narrow valleys, and can also cause landslides,” MetService warned.
“Driving conditions will also be dangerous with flooding on the surface and poor visibility in heavy rain.”
After an influx of people to Waikaia for Christmas, the North Southland township was almost deserted again.
Brodie Jaeger / Supplied
The floods near Opotiki are almost submerging small cars.
Waikaia camp owner Greame Coats said three-quarters of the campers left the camp Saturday afternoon due to flooding.
Coats had driven to Piano Flat, north of the city, to check the water level, and it wasn’t long before he realized it was raining heavily.
It was reminiscent of the 1984 floods, when the city had experienced heavy rains, he said.
Once the rain settled down, Coats hoped the campers would return, as most had left their caravans behind and many were regulars who stayed for the summer.
Renske Terpstra / Supplied
Storm front passing Rangitata Beach
Waikaia Brown Owl Cafe owner Lindsay Brown said most of the campers left before flooding blocked the only way to get in or out of town.
The store was well stocked for residents and the few remaining campers in Waikaia, and the roads were expected to be clear by around 3 p.m.
“Today there will not be a great demand for ice cream.”
There had been a similar amount of rain compared to last February’s flood, but Brown hadn’t noticed the same amount of debris causing damage.
He said he wondered if tarseals on the roads would lift when the floods subsided, as it did in February.
Bejon Haswell / Stuff
Ankle-deep water on Waimate’s Main Street Sunday afternoon.
