Heavy rain continues to fall in Dunedin and North Otago, causing surface flooding and forcing more road closures.
And there's more rain to come - MetService predicts the rain will begin to ease overnight, but showers may persist in some areas well into tomorrow.
Three Mile Hill has been closed at both ends due to flooding about 500m from the Silver Stream, McGrath Road has been closed from State Highway I to Ramrock Road, and Sheppard Road has been closed from Allans Beach Road to Papanui Inlet Road.
The Dunedin City Council had earlier closed Mt Cargill Rd from Upper Junction Rd to Green Rd because of the potential of a ''drop out'' or ''bite'' being taken out of the road if land gave way beneath it.
Flooding has also forced the closure tonight of Brooklands Road and Patterson Road at Goodwood; and Grange Hill Road and Mclay Road at Dunback.
Contractors were monitoring the situation closely, council roading engineer Peter Standring said.
The New Zealand Transport Agency has issued cautions warning of surface flooding for State Highway 88 between Dunedin and Port Chalmers, SH85 between Palmerston and Dunback and SH1 north of Palmerston.
Last night heavy rain resulted in a large slip that blocked one lane of Portobello Rd, near Portobello.
Police and contractors were called to the slip, near Irvine Rd, The Cove, shortly after 9pm.
The road was reduced to one lane, and Dunedin City Council contractors expected to clear it this morning.
Yesterday the Dunedin City Council closed Buccleugh St from North Rd to Barclay St due to blockages, and Silverstream Valley Rd from the end of the seal and Flagstaff-Whare Flat Rd from Rollinsons Rd were closed due to flooding. Buccleugh St has now reopened.
ORC rainfall sites in coastal Otago have recorded between 15mm and 60 mm between midnight and 3pm today, with the heaviest totals recorded in the headwaters of the Leith and Silver Stream catchments in Dunedin.
On the Taieri Plain, the Silver Stream is responding to the persistent rainfall, increasing to 80 cumecs at 3:30pm. This is about 80 cumecs below the level at which it begins to spill over the Gordon Road Spillway, opposite Mosgiel.
The Silver Stream was continuing to rise at 5-10 cumecs per hour this afternoon, and council staff will continue to monitor this closely overnight.
The Taieri River at Outram was steady at just under 200 cumecs at 3:30pm, and is expected to peak at about 300 cumecs tonight.
In Dunedin, the Water of Leith remained steady at approximately 35 cumecs by mid-afternoon. The first flood warning level for the Leith is 55 cumecs, and there is potential for break-out from the main channel when flow exceeds around 100 cumecs.
Rivers in North Otago are also beginning to respond to the heavy rainfall over the last few days.
The Shag River was at 62 cumecs at 3pm, above its first flood alarm of 30 cumecs. The Kakanui River at Clifton Falls was also rising rapidly, and was at 85 cumecs at 3:30pm, approaching the first flood warning level of 100 cumecs.
It is expected that the Shag, Kakanui, and Waianakarua Rivers will continue to rise into the evening, and will peak overnight.
ORC duty flood manager Mike Goldsmith said the council advised those living in low-lying areas to keep a close watch on river flows and surface flooding.
"As the ground has been heavily saturated from the sustained rainfall over the past few days, river flows can change quite quickly, and everyone needs to be vigilant and keep a close eye on river levels" Mr Goldsmith said.
MetService predicts that rainfall will begin to ease overnight, although showers may persist in some areas well into tomorrow.
