More wild weather could be on the way just a week after parts of the Far North - including SH10 north of Kaeo, pictured - disappeared under water. Photo / Marie Kerr
More wild weather could be on the way just a week after parts of the Far North - including SH10 north of Kaeo, pictured - disappeared under water. Photo / Marie Kerr
It's the last thing Northlanders still sodden from last week's storm want to hear — more wild weather could hit the region tomorrow.
But the good news is the latest weather system is expected to move on within 24 hours, unlike last week's deluge which was so damaging because it lingered for days.
MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan said the approaching low-pressure system would sweep a front across Northland, likely bringing heavy rain to the Far North on Thursday morning and then making its way southwards.
"But by the end of the day we're pretty much looking at dry weather across Northland. Last week's system was problematic because it was so slow moving. It wasn't really moving day-to-day but this one is moving quite quickly," he said.
A bigger problem for exposed parts of Northland could be the north-northeasterly winds accompanying the weather system.
As of late Tuesday the risk of gale-force winds was deemed to be low, but that would become clearer today. If the risk increased MetService would issue a weather watch or a weather warning.
The wind was expected to shift to a northwesterly by evening.
The good news was that Northland could expect settled weather next weekend, Corrigan said, with only a light shower or two in western areas.
Of the five boats that came to grief in the Far North last week, only this one - a launch named Elmo - was rescued without significant damage. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Last week's storm dumped more than 200mm of rain within 48 hours in parts of the Far North, flooding farmland, closing roads and triggering landslides.
Slips have closed State Highway 1 through Mangamuka Gorge for an indefinite period, for the second time in two years.
With the ground still sodden from last week's deluge, another downpour could see flooding return.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency's advice in such conditions is to drive with caution and delay non-essential travel.
Last week's storm also took a heavy toll on boats with five vessels beached or sunk.
One was successfully pulled off the beach at Paihia on Thursday morning but two others ran aground on rocks, one at Te Wahapu near Russell and the other at Stockyard Pt in Paihia.
A classic yacht sank at its mooring in Ōpua on Thursday and a 10m launch went down in Houhora Harbour on Friday.
In the Whangārei District one vessel dragged its anchor at Tūtūkākā but was secured by Coastguard volunteers before any damage occurred.
A visitor captures the rain-swollen Haruru Falls near Paihia last Thursday. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Northland deputy harbourmaster Peter Thomas said the Houhora launch had been refloated and removed while the classic yacht was now tied up at a private jetty awaiting repairs.
The badly damaged catamaran had been moved from Stockyard Pt to Sullivans Beach while its owner and the regional council worked through options for its recovery.
One of the common causes of last week's marine incidents was headlines wearing through on incorrectly moored boats.
Thomas said the headline, a length of rope, was the weakest point of the mooring system. It needed to be fitted with anti-chafe gear and secured in the fairlead at the front of vessel.
The headline could wear through quickly if it jumped out and rubbed against the side of the boat or the anchor, he said.
Rain ingress caused at least one of last week's sinkings, so boaties also needed to check cockpit drains and bilge pumps were working properly.
Boaties should also ensure the sea cock, a water intake valve inside the hull, was not left open when the vessel was not in use.
Thomas urged owners to have insurance because they were liable for the cost of removing any wreckage if their vessel sank. Hiring dive teams and salvage contractors could be expensive, he said.
