Heavy rain and high winds are hitting the Bay of Plenty.
Heavy rain and high winds have pummelled the Bay of Plenty with warnings of worse to come.
Metsevice said late Monday night a heavy rain watch was in place for Bay of Plenty, east of Tauranga, from midnight Tuesday through to midnight Wednesday.
"There is the potential for extreme rainfall in these areas, with dangerous river conditions and significant flooding possible. People in Bay of Plenty and northern parts of Gisborne are advised to keep up to date with the latest forecasts as heavy rain warnings are likely to be issued for these areas closer to the time," MetService said.
The region would see showers today turning to rain this evening.
As of 5.15pm Monday, firefighters had been called to six weather-related incidents in the Bay of Plenty. By comparison, Auckland experienced 520 calls today, a New Zealand Fire and Emergency spokesman said.
The spokesman said the Bay of Plenty appeared to have escaped the worst of it.
Rotorua Lakes Council had teams are on standby to respond to any weather emergencies.
It said it was aware of surface flooding in Ngongotahā on the corner of Beaumont and Ngongotaha, and one in Domain. There was also surface flooding at the corner of Sunset Rd and Old Taupo Rd, a fallen tree branch on the corner of Amohia and Pukuatua Street and reports of a fallen tree on Tarawera Rd, near Hilton Rd.
"Additional support crews from Fulton Hogan are on standby for the next couple of nights."
All Council sports fields were closed on Monday evening.
Tauranga City Council director of transport Brendan Bisley expected some "localised surface water" but said this would clear as rain eased.
Council's acting director of city waters Wally Potts said it was carrying out usual checks for when there was "significant rain" on the radar.
Maintenance contractors had been sent out to check sumps in areas known to flood with heavy rainfall, he said.
Director of spaces and places Paul Dunphy said the council was not anticipating "any overtopping" of the base track on Mauao as the next high tide was at 10.50pm.
The situation was being closely monitored and tree contractors were on alert.
Emergency Management Bay of Plenty spokeswoman Lisa Glass said all the region's council and civil defence emergency management duty staff were aware of the weather and keeping a "close watch" on it as it approached.
She said people should check on emergency supplies and have a 'grab bag' of essentials handy in case they need to evacuate.
And even those infected with Covid-19 should evacuate if needed, she said.
Bay of Plenty Civil Defence has issued several advisories and Powerco has reported several power outages in the Western Bay of Plenty with hundreds of customers without power in Greerton, Matapihi and Aongatete.
A Northern Communications Fire Service spokesman said powerlines were down on Maleme St in Greerton. A fire crew was on scene keeping the area safe until Powerco staff arrived, he said.
Meanwhile, a trampoline had gone across powerlines on Leander St in Mount Maunganui. The spokesman said crew was at the scene waiting for Powerco staff to remove the trampoline.
The NZ Fire and Emergency spokesman said both incidents have since been sorted.
Thames Coromandel Civil Defence controller Garry Towler urged everyone to take extra care over the next 12 hours while the storm passes over.
"Avoid being outside, secure loose objects around your property, avoid non-essential travel, have batteries and torches on hand and just hunker down somewhere safe for the afternoon and evening.
"This is a fast-moving convection storm. It is unpredictable and difficult to accurately forecast, so err on the side of caution and avoid any risks until it's safe."
An upended trampoline in Mount Maunganui today. Photo / Emma Houpt
Rain continues to spread south over central Aotearoa New Zealand ☔
The heaviest falls are forecast for southern Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, and eastern Bay of Plenty.
Such storms bring torrential rain that can cause flash flooding and slips. People should take shelter indoors and away from trees when they approach, MetService says.
Localised tornadoes are also possible and could cause damage to trees and powerlines.
Watches and Warnings for large parts of the North Island
A slow-moving low-pressure system lies to the west of New...
A heavy rain watch is also in place for Taupō with possible thunderstorms.
Take shelter, stop driving: Emergency advice in thunderstorms
MetService pointed people to advice from the National Emergency Management Agency, which said when storms approached they should take shelter indoors away from windows and avoid standing under trees.
They should get off the water, move cars under cover or away from trees, check drains and gutters were clear and be ready to slow or stop driving.
During and after the storm, you should also beware of fallen trees and power lines, it says.
"Avoid streams and drains as you may be swept away in flash flooding."
The line of thunderstorms were first spotted offshore as it approached the Bay of Islands just after 1am, and has been moving south through the small hours of the morning.
