New deluge expected to follow record fall

A tree was brought down by high winds onto a beach cottage. Photo / Paul Estcourt

One bout of wet weather is expected to replace another as the North Island continues to be doused by heavy rainfall.

The downpours followed record rainfall for April in the eastern North Island, with 333mm falling in Wairoa - the most since records began in 1964.

Rain clouds are moving south, towards Gisborne, but are forecast to mercifully miss the badly hit Central Hawkes Bay area.

Severe weather warnings for heavy rainfall remain in place for Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Nelson. High winds and heavy rain in those places - up to 150mm in 30 hours - was expected to ease this morning, but northern Gisborne is expected to get heavy falls until 9 tonight.

MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said some areas were still wet from last week's stormy weather: "Slips and surface flooding are more likely than normal, producing hazardous driving conditions. But Hawkes Bay isn't in the firing line this time."

The country will get only a temporary respite when the low departs - another low is forecast to arrive tomorrow, bringing cooler westerly winds and squally showers from the west.

Most of the North Island will get more showers until Saturday, with only the eastern side of the island experiencing any fine weather, on Thursday.

Niwa revealed yesterday that Hawkes Bay had got three times its normal rainfall for April, with Napier experiencing its second-wettest April in 140 years of record-keeping.

Most of the rainfall fell between April 26 and 28, when Central Hawkes Bay got 500mm.

The deluge led to numerous slips and evacuations, and forced the announcement of a state of emergency which was still in place yesterday.

The Central Hawkes Bay District Council released photos yesterday of green fields which had been completely degraded by slips, with roads, fencelines and paddocks seriously damaged.

The worst-hit area was a 5km strip of land between Cape Kidnappers and Porangahau, where 100 farms were damage.

The region is not expected to recover for six months.

Local officials are calling for the weather's impact to be upgraded to a medium-scale adverse event, which would entitle farmers to greater support from the government.

Northland escaped major damage after heavy rain fell on Sunday night, with winds of up to 135km/h.

Emergency services reported that an empty holiday home in Mangawhai was crushed by a large tree felled by high winds. In Russell, a 10m yacht was blown ashore, but the two people on board were safely removed.

APRIL EXTREMES

- Triple the normal rainfall in Hawkes Bay, well above average rainfall in North Island.

- Wettest April in Wairoa (50 years of record-keeping).

- 2nd wettest April in Napier (140 years of record-keeping).

- Highest temperature: 28.4C, Westport, April 26.

- Lowest temperature: -5.9C, Ranfurly, April 28.

- Highest wind gust: 146km/h, Southwest Cape, Stewart Island, April 10.

- Highest one-day rainfall: 155mm, North Egmont, April 24.

Source: Niwa National Climate Centre