Posted: 09 July 2007
Month's rain in one day possible, North warned
A month’s worth of rain is expected to fall on Northland in just 24 hours from tomorrow morning – posing a risk of surface flooding - with gale force winds also expected to buffet the region.
The MetService today (subs: Monday 09 July) warned Northlanders to expect up to 200 millimetres of rain between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning, especially about the central hills and near the east coast.
Hydrologists for the Northland Regional Council say to put that figure in perspective, roughly 200 to 250mm of rain typically falls on the region for the entire month of July.
However, as well as the rain, the MetService is also warning that many of those areas should also expect damaging easterly winds over the same period, with gusts of up to 120kph in exposed areas from the Bay of Islands to the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
Graeme MacDonald, the Regional Council’s Hazard Management Team Leader, says the combination of rain and wind is likely to cause a number of potential problems and is urging Northlanders to take special care and delay non-essential travel tomorrow.
“These weather conditions are likely to lead to surface flooding and cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly, while the winds could damage unsecured objects, trees and power lines. Driving conditions are also likely to be hazardous, in particular for motorcycles and high-sided vehicles.”
Mr MacDonald says farmers in low-lying areas should move stock to higher ground as soon as possible as a precautionary measure and the region’s boat owners would be wise check to ensure their vessels are moored safely and securely.
He says people are also advised to keep up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings.