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Wellington experienced around half its normal monthly rainfall overnight leaving storm water drains struggling to cope.
Though it rained steadily overnight from around midnight the deluge came between 5am and 6am, Metservice forecaster Allister Gorman said.
Around 5.30am, 10mm of rain fell in just four minutes. And from midnight 57.6mm of rain fell in Kelburn, about half the normal amount for the month, and 51mm fell in Wellington.
"That is a quite torrential downpour," Mr Gorman said.
A roof on a block of flats in Webb St had partially collapsed and the fire service had been busy this morning with calls from householders affected by minor flooding, Wellington fire communications shift manager Murray Dunbar said.
Sergeant Andy Dow of Wellington Police warned drivers on their way to work to watch following distances due to surface flooding.
Both Stagecoach, the bus operator, and Ontrack, the rail network operator, said services were running as normal.
Ontrack spokesman Kevin Ramshaw said there had been some small slips on the Johnsonville line and a small signal problem but "at the moment all is well".
A spokesman for Stagecoach said there was surface flooding in Kilbirnie near the bus terminal but the trolley buses were working. Some buses may have to make diversions to their routes.
There was one car accident on Whitford Brown Ave in Porirua this morning.
Wellington Airport was not affected, a spokesman said.
Trina Saffiotti of Wellington City Council said ten manhole covers were dislodged by the rain.
The council had reports of flooding in many different parts of the city. There was a large slip in Wadestown near Cecil Rd and slips on Hutt Rd, Onslow Rd and Palliser Rd.
Meanwhile a car and motorbike have crashed on Eastern Huttt Road in Taita.
Police said injuries were unknown at this stage. Fire, police and ambulance were at the scene and the road was closed.
Mr Gorman said heavy rain was forecast but it had arrived earlier than expected.
The culprit was an active front across the lower North Island.
"For the most of the rest day we are probably just going to a few showers. We may have another burst of heavy rain tonight but it is too early to contemplate whether it will be quite as heavy again," he said.
- NZPA
