Bay of Plenty Braces for Heavy Rain

The Bay of Plenty west of Whakatāne is now under a heavy rain warning until Saturday morning and a heavy rain watch has been issued for areas north of Te Kaha.

Metservice said 180 to 230 millimetres of rain is expected west of Whakatāne from 9am tomorrow until 1am on Saturday.

Early Friday is expected to bring the worst level of rain with 25 to 40 millimetres of rain per hour. 

There is a high chance of being increased to a red warning. 

A heavy rain watch has been issued for areas north of Te Kaha to Tokomaru Bay from 3am Friday until midday Saturday. 

Metservice said periods of heavy rain are forecast, with a moderate chance of upgrading to a warning. 

Meteorologist John Law said a deep area of low pressure has brought warmth, moist and windy conditions down from the tropics. 

"The winds rotate in a clockwise fashion. So you can imagine that with that out towards the west of us, those are northerly winds just pushing that rain down," he explained.

"Places like the Bay of Plenty and the Coromandel act a bit like a funnel, but those northerly winds just catching that rain, pushing it towards the northern ranges down towards the south [of the area]."

Law advises the community to keep an eye on the forcasts with a high chance of the warnings being upgraded. 

"Keep up to date with the latest forecasts, watches, warnings over on the MetService website and also with the information from your local emergency management teams on the ground as well."

Whakatāne Mayor Nándor Tánczos said Herepuru Road will be closed from 12pm today as a precaution. 

He said the last period of heavy rain caused a large slip, therefore the closing the road is the safest option. 

Affected residents have been notified. 

Bay of Plenty Civil Defence is warning people to be prepared as weather sets in. 

It is advising anyone with planned outdoor activites to postpone and to avoid travel where possible.

It said "The rainfall forecast is still likely to bring dangerous river conditions, flooding, hazardous driving conditions, and landslides, so please take care."

If floodwaters rapidly rise "do not wait for official warnings - head for higher ground and stay away from floodwater."

It warns there will be slippery roads, as well as potential landslides and fallen trees. 

Early signs of landslides include "small slips, rock falls, new cracks or bulges on the ground, tilting trees, fences and fixtures, water flowing out of a slope, sticking window frames and doors, and unusual noises."

"If you see any of these, act quickly, get away from the slope and call 111."

It is also urging people to be prepared for power outages, and communication network disruptions. 

Spark customers across the country have been experiencing outages this morning as rain starts to hit Northland. 

"We know severe weather events can be unsettling. We are continuing to monitor the situation and will share any relevant information as and when it comes in."

NZTA has warned motorists to be prepared for road closures throughout the warning period. 

It said while the alert is in place for west of Whakatāne, conditions may change quickly. 

State Highway 2 through the Waioweka Gorge was closed temporarily this morning as a digger blocked the road. 

It warns further closures could be expected if the weather worsens. 

"State Highway 2 through the Waioweka Gorge may be closed at short notice if conditions deteriorate and it becomes unsafe for travel."

It said the situation will be assessed as the forecast is updated. 

NZTA encourages motorists to check for updates, allow for extra travelling time, and to prepare to use alternate routes.  

Community Constable Rob Jones said drivers will need to increase their following distance, turn on lights, and avoid travel if possible. 

Police were called to a single vehicle crash on Te Teko Road at 4:15pm today. 

It said there were no reports of injuries or road closures as a result of the crash. 

Hato Hone St John said two ambulances responded to a call at 4:11pm, but were stood down enroute to the scene by Police, as they were not required. 

Whakatāne Intermediate School will finish at 2.30pm today due to the wet weather.