Far North told to brace for more heavy rain, flooding and road closures

Kaitāia's Grigg St had floodwaters peak at around 67mm on Monday. According to MetService, the Far North was not out of the woods yet, with the region expected to receive more localised flooding today.

Far North residents are being told to brace for more wild weather today, with MetService upgrading its orange warning to red — the highest alert level issued by the service.

The red alert level was called at 3pm yesterday which has only ever been issued a handful of times in Northland’s history.

The heavy rain is expected to cause dangerous river conditions and significant flooding, with slips and floodwaters likely to disrupt travel, making some roads impassable and possibly isolating communities.

MetService forecasters are warning people in already saturated places to prepare for significant bouts of rainfall, with 150 millimetres of rain in just four to five hours predicted to fall in Kaitāia this afternoon.

Meteorologist Jessie Owen said there was a red heavy rain warning in force from 4am Tuesday until 4am Wednesday, with 100 to 140mm of rain in the north and the east, with lesser amounts in the west.

However, localised areas could see 140 to 220mm.

“Severe thunderstorms are also possible within this rain. Rainfall rates of 10 to 20mm an hour are expected, but localised areas may see 25 to 40mm/h or possibly more,” Owen said.

“Strong winds are also expected, and there is a strong wind watch in force for possible severe gale northeasterlies from 10am Tuesday to 2am Wednesday.”

Looking further into the week, Northland could expect a showery couple of days before the weather looked to settle down as the weekend approached.

From midday Thursday through to 11am Monday, Kaikohe had received 174.8mm, with Kaitāia receiving 139.4mm and Kerikeri 129mm.

“Just to end, I would like to stress that today’s heavy rain and strong winds are looking like a very significant event, coming on top of all the rain that has already fallen onto very wet ground, so further flooding, slips etc are highly likely,” Owen said.

“It is important to stay up to date with the current forecasts, watches and warnings, as well as the advice from your local council/emergency management. We’re not out of the woods yet.”

As at 1pm yesterday, Far North District Council had confirmed several roads in the Far North had been impacted, with some completely closed due to flooding.

“Our contractors are inspecting the road network and responding to customer callouts. We will update our list of affected roads regularly,” the FNDC website said.

Far North Kahika [Mayor] Moko Tepania said the council was working with Civil Defence Northland to keep residents updated and to ensure the region was prepared should anyone need assistance.

“Civil Defence Northland is active right now and on standby monitoring the situation should they need to kick into action,” Tepania said.

“Northlanders need to stay up to date with the communication coming from Civil Defence Northland, either through their Facebook page or website.

“For any emergencies, please call 111, and remember to log any weather-related incidents with the council to ensure it gets into the system and we can respond to that information.”

Tepania said with the rain predicted to progressively worsen throughout the course of today, combined with high tide at Whangaroa at around 4:30pm, it was likely Kaeo would soon become impassable.

Far North Kahika [Mayor] Moko Tepania said people need to keep off the roads today and stay updated by following Civil Defence Northland.

This would mean the Far North would again be cut off from the rest of the country, with both SH10 and SH1 closed at Mangamuka.

“There is potential for significant localised flooding, so people need to be prepared and to stay in their homes and off the road,” Tepania said.

“We have learned many lessons through what’s happened in Auckland and Waitomo, plus through past experiences as a region.

“My message to the people of the Far North is to stay safe, stay updated and be prepared.”

Niwa meteorologist Tristan Meyers said it had been an active start to the year for the Far North, with more activity to come.

Meyers said Kaitāia had already recorded 412 per cent of its January rainfall, with Kaikohe on track to have its second-wettest January on record since 1956.

He said the heavy rain, combined with powerful winds today, particularly on the coastal fringe, would produce gusts in excess of 110km/h, which could topple trees due to already saturated soil.

“It’s important not to drive through floodwaters during this period- you don’t know the condition of the road underneath the opaque, dirty water. Additionally, slips are common during weather events like this,” Meyers said.

“By Wednesday, the worst of the weather should be behind us. However, floodwaters may continue to rise even after the rain stops, so it’s important to remain vigilant.”

As of yesterday afternoon, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advised there weren’t currently any closures on state highways in the Far North (apart from Mangamuka Gorge), but that residents should stay updated via their website.

“We do have SH1 Brynderwyns currently closed, with a detour in place via SH12/14 for heavy vehicles and via Waipū/Mangawhai for light vehicles,” a spokesperson said.

“SH1 Ruakaka is also closed due to road surface deterioration between Port Marsden Hwy (SH15) and Marsden Point Rd. A signposted detour is available.”

Real-time updates are made to the journey planner here: www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/.

To view the latest weather warnings for your area, visit: metservice.com and for all emergency information, follow the Civil Defence Northland Facebook page.