Media release
Phone: 09 438 4639 Fax: 09 438 0012 www.nrc.govt.nz

Number of pages: 02

Date: 12 July, 2009

Worst Of Heavy Rain, Wind Over For Northland

Parts of Northland have been lashed by almost a month’s rain in just 36 hours, but forecasters say the worst of it - and the gale force winds affecting the region - appear to have passed.

Northland Regional Council figures show up to 170mm of rain fell on the eastern hills above Kaeo in the 36 hours from midnight Friday until noon today. (Subs: Sun 12 July)

Elsewhere in Northland, Puhipuhi (on the eastern hills north of Whangarei) had recorded 169mm, Glenbervie (also east of Whangarei) 144mm and Oakura Bay (on the east coast) 122mm over the same 36 hour period.

Dale Hansen, the Council’s Water Resources / Hydrology Programme Manager says to put those figures in perspective, higher areas along Northland’s east coast typically receive about 250mm rain for the entire month of July.

MetService figures showed at times during the storm winds had gusted to 144.5kph at Cape Reinga and had also reached gale force in other parts of the region.

He says low-lying coastal areas of Northland in particular had had a lucky escape given the high rainfall, rain-swollen rivers, strong winds and large waves that had combined to raise what were already high tides by another metre or so.

“If rainfall rates had been just 5mm to 10mm an hour more at the storm’s height we would have seen widespread flooding.”

Mr Hansen says most rivers in Northland are now expected to recede over the next day or two. The exceptions were some of the bigger catchment rivers in the central parts of Northland, although the Council was no longer expecting these to cause any problems.

The MetService was now predicting rain to stop altogether late this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Mr Hansen says the region’s west coast has once again been sheltered from the worst of the weather, with Dargaville receiving only 14.5mm rain since midnight Friday and Pouto Point just 7.5mm.

ENDS

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