Westland's mayor says there will be no mandatory evacuations across the district tonight, with officials confident rivers are handling the deluge well.
Helen Lash says with State Highway six now closed from Ross to Makarora, police are out ensuring the road is clear before the second belt of rain makes its way up the coast later tonight.
The Waiho River in Franz Josef is expected to peak about 2am, with the Hokitika River expected to follow around 10am
The rivers are being closely monitored overnight and Helen Lash says if there is any risk to people, they will be advised to move accordingly.
Earlier, a local State of Emergency was declared for Westland.
State Highway 6 between Hokitika and Haast is now closed.
Travellers had until 6pm to leave the road and were advised to head north towards Hokitika and Greymouth.
Anyone camping in the region should find accommodation at the nearest township in a campground or motel.
The heaviest rain in the deluge is now expected to arrive between about 10pm Friday and 6am Saturday.
Officials are trying to work out whether to evacuate homes before dark as a precaution.
A heavy rain red warning is in place for the region, until Saturday morning, with 500 to 700 mm of rain expected to accumulate about the ranges, and 100 to 200 mm about the coast.
Westland Mayor Helen Lash said Friday afternoon's rain levels would be critical for the region from Haast to Hokitika, with another 300mm of rain expected in the ranges on top of what has already fallen. The worst of it is expected between 10pm Friday and 6am Saturday.Officials are warning locals to not get complacent, with the weather set to worsen.
“South Westland is experiencing heavy falls now, and they will be moving up the West Coast this afternoon and this evening," said West Coast Emergency Management group controller Te Aroha Cook.
"We’re expecting at least another 350 - 550mm in the ranges over the next 24 hours, which will have an impact on roads and rivers.”
The Waiho River has finally reached its first alarm level, at 8m, after it earlier appeared to be receding. It is not expected to peak until 2am.
The Hokitika River is experiencing intense rainfall in the ranges, expected to peak at 10am Saturday.
“High tide in Hokitika is around 7am tomorrow, so our teams will be keeping an eye on river levels through the night,” Te Aroha said, adding that preparations are underway for potential evacuations and emergency services had boosted staffing in the region.
“We’ve got around 1500 people in Franz Josef at the moment, and there’s a lot of traffic on the road. We strongly advise people to take extra care on the roads and keep up to date with road conditions and weather conditions.”
NZTA Waka Kotahi says it's possible State Highway 6 between Franz Josef and Fox Glacier could be closed overnight as conditions worsen.
The agency said on Friday afternoon it was working with local Civil Defence and MetService to monitor conditions.
"With the severity of the current Red warning in place for South Westland, an overnight closure of SH6 between Franz Josef and Fox Glacier from 9pm Friday to 6am Saturday is a strong possibility due to the likelihood of flooding, slips and unsafe driving conditions," said spokesperson Moira Whinham.
Earlier, sandbags were being handed out on the streets of Hokitika yesterday and Civil Defence staff from across the South Island were pulled in as locals prepared for the massive deluge from an atmospheric river of moisture.
Civil Defence mobilised staff and resources as “a month’s worth of rain in one day” began falling on the West Coast yesterday.
Stuff reported Civil Defence had set up a base of operations inside the council building in Hokitika and staff had been pulled in from around the South Island.
Another heavy rain warning is in place for the Grey District and Fiordland from midnight on Thursday to 9am on Saturday; and a heavy rain watch is active in Tasman west of Motueka, Buller and the headwaters of the Canterbury and Otago lakes and rivers.
West Coast Emergency Management (WCEM) said, “Now is the time to prepare for extreme weather,” and the Westland District Council has been giving out sandbags to businesses and residents in Hokitika most at risk of flooding.
Group manager Claire Brown said WCEM had been working with the Department of Conservation (DoC) and as a matter of caution strongly suggested anyone planning to travel in the district tomorrow should keep an eye on weather warnings and take supplies like food and water with them.
Amid West Coast storm, Christchurch tipped for 30C+ days
Meanwhile, on the east of the South Island, Canterbury’s Medical Officer of Health has urged people to keep themselves cool and hydrated as 30C-plus days have been forecast for Christchurch.
Elsewhere, Auckland had a cloudy and showery outlook for Friday with a daily high of 28C. Saturday should be a bit cooler at 27C with a chance of a shower and clouds while Sunday could see periods of heavy rain.
MetService has forecast 30C for Christchurch on Friday and 32C for Saturday. There could be a few spots of rain on both days.
Dr Matt Reid, the region’s Medical Officer of Health, said: “It’s especially important to stay out of the sun where possible, avoid extreme physical exertion, and ensure pets and people are not left alone in stationary cars.
“While we are all vulnerable to hot temperatures, some people are particularly at risk. This includes the elderly, infants and children, women who are pregnant and people suffering from chronic, acute and severe illness.”
‘Follow advice of local Civil Defence groups’ - MetService
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said the heaviest rain was expected from late on Friday morning, and “when that comes, it will be on top of what’s already fallen”.
She said people should be mindful if they are camping in the West Coast area, particularly those near water. “And if people have plans to travel there, definitely stay up to date with the latest forecasts and think about making alternative plans.”
Makgabutlane said: “We’ll be giving regular updates as the weather system continues, and in the meantime, people should follow the advice of local Civil Defence groups.”
WCEM said the “long duration of heavy rain is expected to be especially impactful for Westland south of Otira, and the rain warning there has been upgraded to a red warning. Please stay up to date with the latest forecast.”
It said rain could cause slips and flooding, which would likely disrupt travel by making roads impassable and isolating communities.
The Westland District Council had prepared at least 500 sandbags for locals to use, “but we ask that people only take what they need to protect their properties”.
“We also suggest that if there is surface flooding, people minimise their vehicle usage in these areas to reduce the bow waves sending water off the road and on to the pavements and surrounding premises.”
The council has been giving away sandbags on the corners of Stafford and Sewell, Hamilton and Tancred, Trancred and Wells and Weld and Sewell Sts.
WCEM said: “Agencies and first responders will be meeting this afternoon. There is a high level of concern about possible impacts of the weather, particularly south of Hokitika.”
An emergency operating centre will be set up tomorrow to help co-ordinate responses to the storm between the WCEM and the district council.
The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) said river flows on the West Coast would be “extremely high” by Friday evening with a “month’s worth of rain in a day” likely to fall.
“Of particular concern is the Waiho River near Franz Josef due to sediment build-up in the riverbed from previous flooding events.”
The atmospheric river came from a “moisture plume extend[ing] back to northern Australia, where the monsoon is active,” Niwa said.
Southland Mayor Rob Scott, whose region could get 350mm of rain over the next two days in Fiordland, said: “The West Coast is going to get a hammering”.
- additional reporting RNZ
