A locked-down New Zealand further battened down the hatches yesterday as a wet and windy storm battered the country.
The blustery front whipped up the country all day, with high winds lashing Canterbury, where gusts hit 104km/h at Le Bons Bay on Banks Peninsula just before noon on Sunday.
It also made for choppy waters in Akaroa Harbour, we all as Lake Tekapo and the Cook Strait, where the winds had been whistling through, MetService said.
The forecaster also expects the Canterbury and Otago high country areas to get decent snow dumps early this week.
While temperatures remained autumnal-mild on Sunday, they are set to plummet today and over the next 48 hours, thanks to a predicted southerly blast.
Snow is forecast to around 700m and MetService is warning that frosts are possible in some South Island spots.
It's understood a property in Island Bay, Wellington, also flooded after heavy rain.
Parts of the City of Sails were also drenched oFn Sunday afternoon with up to 23.5mm of rain falling in six hours.
Firefighters used chainsaws to remove a tree that smashed into a home's roof on Hume Dr in Auckland's Hillcrest about 3.30pm.
Fire and Emergency NZ shift manager Craig Dally told the Herald firefighters were then sent to a Karangahape Rd building which had flooded.
A strong wind watch is in place for Auckland, with "strong to gale force" northeasterly winds expected into evening. Gusts could potentially reach 100km/h in exposed places.
"The rain is bucketing down at the moment and has been falling steadily for at least an hour," a Herald reader in Auckland said.
"I can hear it thundering on the roof and dripping from my busted gutter. My garden's loving it but it's not so welcome for my 6 and 8-year-old, who have some serious lockdown cabin fever."
The rain will be welcome to Auckland's Watercare. Dams which supply the city's water were less than half full earlier this week, and water-saving measures are already underway including calls to limits showers to four minutes.
A heavy rain watch has been flagged for Northland where a drought was declared on February 11.
The region has seen periods of heavy rain on Sunday, with Kerikeri receiving 30mm in six hours. Opononi on the south shores of Hokianga harbour had 15mm of rain in just one hour between 11am and noon.
"We know Northland is obviously pretty dry and in need of some rain and hopefully this will bring some relief at least to those empty water tanks up there," said MetService meteorologist Tom Adams.
The West Coast has been lashed by rain - and now MetService says residents should brace for possible thunderstorms.
Heavy rain overnight closed State Highway 6 east of Westport on Sunday morning, between Inangahua and Westport, with slips at each end of the Lower Buller Gorge, at Uranium Point and at Inangahua. SH6 south of Westport to Greymouth is open, but rain is continuing to fall in northern Westland and Buller district.
As well as the Lower Buller Gorge slips, the road south of Inangahua was also closed on Sunday morning due to surface flooding between Inangahua and Reefton but has since reopened.
"We encourage people to avoid using the roads in these conditions and please be on the lookout for surface debris. Slow down if you do have to make a journey," said Waka Kotahi West Coast maintenance contract manager Moira Whinham.
SH67, north of Westport to Mohikinui, has also had some surface flooding but remains open.
Heavy rain watches and warnings were also set for the ranges of Westland, south of Otira, Taranaki, eastern Bay of Plenty hills, and Tongariro National Park and the Kaimanawa Range.
Some Wellingtonians woke up to the sound of rubbish being scattered across their streets.
A strong northerly wind has been howling through the capital all day coupled with lashings of rain.
Meanwhile, MetService has been posting photographs on social media on Sunday morning of dumps of snow at Australian ski fields.
THE HIGHS AND LOWS: MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES IN THE MAIN CENTRES TODAY AND TUESDAY
- Auckland today 21 deg C: Tuesday 18 deg C:
- Hamilton today 20 deg C: Tuesday 17 deg C:
- Wellington today 18 deg C: Tuesday 13 deg C:
- Christchurch today: 23 deg C. Tuesday: 12 deg C.
- Dunedin today 19 deg C: Tuesday 10 deg C:
