Warnings floods likely in Canterbury

Flooding looks likely in South Canterbury High Country today with heavy rain forecast, Environment Canterbury (ECAN) is warning.

Farmers and campers at camp sites close to the Waitaki lakes and the Rangitata River should watch for rapidly rising water levels over the next 48 hours.

ECAN issued flood warnings on Monday and Thursday, when 200mm of rain fell in the catchments of the Rangitata and Waitaki rivers, duty flood controller for the Southern region Tony Henderson said.

"The MetService has issued another heavy rain warning for the High Country for Saturday morning. This rain will fall on catchments that are already drenched and the two rivers are likely to again reach our flood warning trigger levels over the weekend."

The Waitaki and Rangitata rivers could rise quickly and people in or near the rivers should stay away from river beds, Mr Henderson said.

Strong northwest wind and rain would be feeding the rivers in the high country and people needed to be vigilant about possible rapid rises in water levels, he said.

There were no concerns for the safety of the main road Rangitata Bridge at this stage, he added.

Updates would be available on the ECAN website.

- NZPA