Covering period of Thursday 24th to Sunday 27th March

MetService is keeping a close eye on a low pressure system lingering near the North Island’s east coast, which is forecast to bring further periods of rain to Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, and Gisborne over the coming days.

Orange Heavy Rain Warnings are in place for Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay today (Thursday) and tomorrow, where heavy rain may cause slips, rapidly rising rivers, and dangerous driving conditions.

The Red Warning for Gisborne has now been lifted following the extreme rainfall that impacted the region, and there is a Heavy Rain Watch for the area south of Gisborne city for another period of rain from this evening until tomorrow evening.

MetService meteorologist Dan Corrigan explains, “Gisborne Airport recorded a month’s worth of rain in seven hours last night with 86.9mm, and several of the Gisborne District Council rain gauges across the region recorded more than 400mm of rain in three days.”

Corrigan clarifies, “The upcoming periods of rainfall in the Gisborne region are not expected to be as intense as they have been so far this week, but there may be further impacts due to already saturated soils. Uncertainty surrounding the position of the low pressure system means that there may be changes to exactly where we expect the bulk of the rain to fall as we look further ahead, so it’s best to stay up to date with the latest MetService forecasts and Severe Weather Warnings.”

In Hawke’s Bay, it’s already a record wet start to the year with Napier Airport recording 420mm so far in 2022. The previous January-March maximum for this station was 390mm in 1979 (records began in 1951), and this is still with more heavy rain on the way.

For the rest of the country, the weather will be much more settled by comparison with around average temperatures. Rain in other North Island regions is on the way out tomorrow as the low pressure system shifts eastwards. Meanwhile, the South Island will be mostly dry, with the main exception being a showery front moving northwards today.

Full details of all current Severe Weather Warnings and Watches can be found at http://bit.ly/AllWarnings

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