What you need to know
- Auckland and Northland are under a state of emergency.
- Officials are warning to be prepared for more damage as another storm blows through Tuesday after the holiday weekend.
- Red heavy rain warnings (highest-level warnings) are in place for Northland, Auckland north of Orewa, Bay of Plenty and Coromandel Peninsula.
- Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for Auckland from Orewa southwards, Great Barrier Island and northern Gisborne
- Heavy rain watches are now in place for Waikato, Mount Taranaki, northwest Tasman and Westland
Lines of thunderstorms are already producing high-intensity rainfalls north of Northland after the region moved into a state of emergency earlier today.
- This story was first published by RNZ
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It is the third region to go into a state of emergency since Friday's storm which has claimed four lives.
Northland, Auckland north of Orewa, Bay of Plenty west of about Kawerau, and Coromandel Peninsula have red warnings in place until tomorrow. (Bay of Plenty's warning begins from 3am Wednesday).
So far more than 1000 Far North homes are without power. Most of the affected households, just under 700, are north of Kaitaia in the area between Awanui and Waiharara.
Northland's rainfall forecast numbers are larger and the duration is longer than that for Auckland.
"The region's have had a lot of rain, anywhere we get those thunderstorms and downpours with 25 to 40mm, or even more for Northland, impacts are expected because it's saturated," MetService meteorologist Geogina Griffiths said.
Griffiths is also warning of high intensity rainfall in areas north of Auckland city overnight.
"It's serious stuff," she told RNZ's Checkpoint. "The winds also don't help."
The key danger was soil was already saturated, she said.
"The region is just set up ... to flood quickly," she said, adding that Friday was the wettest on record, and that January was the wettest too.
"What we expect is as soon as we get the high intensities on those saturated soils, we will see quick flooding and slips happening."
South of Orewa, localised flooding was possible, Griffiths said.
"The reason we're on red warning is not becuase of the forecast volume of rainfall, it's because of the localised high-intensity [rain] and the fact we're already super saturated and pretty vulnerable for quick impacts for further rain."
Most of Auckland entered MetService’s severe weather warning period from 8pm, with an orange heavy rain warning of up to 80mm expected overnight on already saturated ground and a yellow watch for strong winds.
The early impacts were already being felt. A sinkhole has opened up in Swanson, taking out power lines. Fire and Emergency NZ were initially called to Scenic Drive about 7.30pm after reports of trees falling on the lines. However, upon arrival, they discovered a sinkhole opening up, causing landslides that were taking the lines with them.
Power is also out for some residents in nearby Titirangi after a tree has come down, reportedly hitting a shed and several power lines with a loud bang. Vector says an investigation is underway and power should be restored by 11pm.
Earlier, a seven-day state of emergency was declared for Northland at 1pm today.
It is only the fifth time the region has made the move since 1973.
Griffiths earlier told media that warnings were “on track”. Rain in Auckland, she said, would be “stop-start” with risks of intense rainfalls. Slips and further flooding could come in Auckland north of Orewa overnight, she said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says Cabinet today decided to contribute $1 million to the Auckland Mayoral Relief fund to assist in the emergency response after the weekend's flooding, the "most significant contribution to a mayoral relief fund ever".
The prime minister plans to return to Auckland tomorrow and remain there until Thursday, "to meet with those affected by the floods, to support our responders and ensure that government support is available and getting to where it is needed the most".
Schools and all learning facilities have closed for the week in Auckland and Mayor Wayne Brown has urged residents to “stay home” wherever possible.
Auckland Council closed all non-essential community facilities, services and destination sites at 3pm today. This includes pools and leisure centres, libraries, community venues, the Auckland Botanic Gardens, the Auckland Art Gallery and cemetery offices.
Houses red-stickered
Building assessors have now red-stickered 102 Auckland houses as Auckland Transport says motorists should reconsider travel today in the face of widespread red and orange weather warnings.
In an update today, Auckland Emergency Management says there are also 375 yellow-stickered properties, which means there is moderate damage and access is restricted, while 857 are white-stickered, which means no limits on access.
"It is going to be widespread heavy rain," MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said.
"It will be persistent… the conditions will be ripe to have those downpours, we might see hourly totals around that 40mm mark.
"If that is falling on top of what might have been six or seven hours of persistent rain, that's when we really see those impacts come about."
The latest wave of rain hit Northland this morning, with 100 to 140mm expected in the north and east, and lesser amounts in the west. Localised areas may receive 140 to 220mm.
The region's red heavy rain warning is in place from 9am Tuesday until 4am Wednesday.
At a briefing yesterday afternoon, Auckland Mayor Brown said the coming days could be worse than what Aucklanders had already endured.
“The ground is so saturated, that if anything [coming rain] could be worse than Friday.”
The city north of Orewa is on a red alert for heavy rain from 4pm Tuesday afternoon until 7am Wednesday, while the rest of the city is under an orange warning.
In the north of the city up to 120mm of rain over 15 hours is expected, with up to 80mm everywhere else.
While that's nowhere near the record-breaking amounts that pounded the city last week, emergency officials say the ground is so saturated even ordinary rainfall will cause slips and more flooding.Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for Auckland from Orewa southwards and Great Barrier Island, while the orange warning for Bay of Plenty is for the 24 hours from 3am Wednesday.
As well, gale force easterly winds are expected to bring down a significant number of trees onto roads and power lines.
Officials are urging businesses to stay closed for the day.
A significant portion of the peninsula was already affected by flooding and slips, in what the agency described as a “hazardous and evolving situation”.
A woman who almost had to swim to safety from her Māngere home on Friday says Auckland's red and orange weather alerts are nerve-wracking.
MetService is forecasting torrential rain, gale-force winds and possible thunderstorms to strike Northland to the Bay of Plenty.
Mele left her house with her elderly parents and nieces when the water began flooding in on Friday night, rapidly rising to chest height.
The house is yet to be assessed.
Mele told RNZ she is anxious at the prospect of more rain creating further danger and destruction."I don't know what's going to happen, whether it's going to be more dangerous than the last one. Just thinking of my family."
But she says a little certainty has come from her whānau of 11 finding some temporary accommodation.
Auckland Airport is continuing to face delays and cancellations, impacting passengers already waiting in the terminal.
“We have passengers that have been in the terminal for a wee while waiting for their outbound flight,” Auckland Emergency Management deputy controller Rachel Kelleher said.
- additional reporting NZ Herald
