Auckland floods: Thunderstorms and downpours headed for flood ravaged regions, high risk of more slips

Flood ravaged regions are now under a severe thunderstorm watch with MetService warning that it won’t take much for more flooding and landslides.

A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula and Waikato from 2pm to 10pm today.

“We have seen a lot of rain [and] we’ve seen a lot of impact from this rain. So any more significant rain, it’s not going to take much to start seeing more slips and more flash flooding,” MetService meteorologist Jessie Owen said.

Owen said that if thunderstorms occur then they will be localised.

“So it’s possible that not everywhere we’ll see impacts from this,” she said.

🌩 Severe Thunderstorm watch issued for Auckland, Coromandel, and parts of Waikato 🌩

A line of heavy showers offshore to the north is approaching and carries with it a risk of downpours

Keep an eye on the radar as this may cause further flooding https://t.co/prKU7NLNY1 pic.twitter.com/KToQvNAObR

— MetService (@MetService) February 2, 2023

She said thunderstorm watches are issued when there are all the right “ingredients” for them and said they are currently tracking a line of heavy showers offshore to the north which is slowly making its way south.

The showers could also bring downpour to the affected regions.

MetService said the heat during the day is also encouraging the rain.

“My advice for Auckland is as always just to keep up with the current forecast, the watches and the warnings and heed the advice of your local council and Emergency management,” said Owen.

There are a number of other weather watches and warnings in place for the North Island as the same weather system which caused yesterday’s weather backtracks.

Eastern Northland south of the Bay of Islands is under a heavy rain watch from 10pm tonight through to 10am tomorrow.

The eastern areas of Auckland, the Hunua Ranges and the Coromandel Peninsula are also under heavy rain watches from this evening.

An orange heavy rain warning is in place for Bay of Plenty west of about Kawerau, including the Rotorua Lakes District, Western Bay of Plenty District and Tauranga City areas until 8am tomorrow.

Bay of Plenty, about and east of Kawerau, is under a heavy rain watch.

In the South Island, an orange heavy rain warning is in place for Westland south of Otira through to 4pm tomorrow while Fiordland, north of George Sound, is under a heavy rain watch until 11am tomorrow.