Some ‘very intense’ bursts of rain hit the Kāpiti district

A flooded Otaihanga Domain on Monday afternoon. Photo / David Haxton

The Waikanae River raged, Otaihanga Domain flooded, surface flooding appeared in various places, and there was a slip on Paekākāriki Hill Rd as heavy rain hammered Kāpiti on Monday.

Kāpiti Coast District Council (KCDC) and Greater Wellington Regional Council incident management teams worked closely with the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office (WREMO) as the weather situation unfolded.

KCDC emergency operations controller James Jefferson said the district ended the day in “pretty good shape”.

“There was overtopping of some stopbanks, but these have been checked and are all intact, and there have been a few properties flooded but nothing too major, thankfully.

“The high tide didn’t seem to cause any additional issues either.”

A surging Waikanae River. Photo / David Haxton

With more inclement weather predicted today, it was important households remained vigilant and had good emergency plans in place including being prepared to move if the situation worsened or calling 111 if emergency help was needed.

“It’s a good idea to clear gutters and drains and we are expecting some wind later in the week, so make sure any loose items are well secured.”

Jefferson said, “After a settled winter this is a reminder that spring can be a different kettle of fish, and we all need to be ready for when things do go bad.”

MetService meteorologist John Law said the rain was caused by a slow-moving front that sat across the lower parts of the North Island through the first part of the day.

“Embedded within the broader band of rain were some very intense bursts of rain and thunderstorms. The heaviest rainfall was in the first part of the morning.

The rainfall gauge at the Wainui Saddle reported 33.6mm between 7am and 8am. In the 24 hours to 4pm on Monday, the station reported 96mm. The rain was heaviest in the Tararua Ranges where 80-120mm was recorded over the past 24 hours. The GWRC rainfall gauge at Oriwa reported 121.1mm over the past 24 hours.

The 24-hour rainfall amounts closer to the coast were: 52.4mm in Waikanae, 43.2mm at Paraparaumu and 34.2mm at Levin.

“For some context, the climate August average rainfall in Paraparaumu is 71.8mm and this month there has been 127.8mm of rain reported there,” Law said.

Key advice from KCDC:

• Check your sumps and drains and clear any debris that might affect their capacity.
• Report any issues to the KCDC call centre on 0800 486 486 or on the Antenno app.
• Listen to the radio and keep an eye on council’s social media and website for updates.
• Keep an eye on the roads around the region: www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic-and-travel-information
• To keep up to date on the weather go to: https://www.metservice.com/warnings/home for the latest updates.