Thunderstorms move across western Bay of Plenty on MetService's Rain Radar. Photo: MetService
A severe thunderstorm warning for the Bay of Plenty has been lifted, but heavy rain and strong winds are still expected across the region.
The MetService said thunderstorms had brought torrential rain to Waihi, Tauranga and Te Puke throughout the morning.
Meteorologist Alec Holden said although the risk of thunderstorms in Bay of Plenty had been downgraded, downpours were expected to continue.
"There is currently a set of thunderstorms watches in the Bay of Plenty as a convective line passes over, bringing torrential rain and strong winds to those places," he said.
Heavy rain watches were also in place for Tairāwhiti and Hawke's Bay this afternoon.
⛈ Severe Thunderstorm Warning lifted
— MetService (@MetService) June 5, 2023
We still have a ⛈ Severe Thunderstorm Watch out for the eastern Bay of Plenty, so stay tuned.
For those who need a breather, here's a nice calming clip of the full moon setting as the sun rose over the Crown Range Road this morning. pic.twitter.com/Pum0J99ZYP
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said that as the storm approached, people should take shelter, preferably indoors away from windows, avoid sheltering under trees if outside, get back to land if they were on the water, secure loose objects, check drains and gutters are clear and move cars under cover or away from trees.
The MetService said by lunchtime Monday, the Bay of Plenty had already received a strong dose of the storm, and one of the worst hit areas was Waihi.
Meteorologist Alec Holden said 43mm of rain fell between 10am and 11am on Monday in the town.
He said more rain was expected for Bay of Plenty and the Coromandel Peninsula throughout the day.
"Especially this evening, which is when the rain watch for Coromandel kicks in," he said.
"So they've already seen quite a lot today and they will be seeing more."
MetService said its weather radar detected severe thunderstorms near Te Puke and Motiti Island about midday.
The thunderstorms were moving toward the west-southwest and were expected to lie near Te Puke, Paparoa and Paengaroa at 1pm.
They were expected to be accompanied by very heavy rain, which could cause surface or flash flooding and make driving conditions extremely hazardous.
Here's a zoomed-in view of those thunderstorms moving across western Bay of Plenty on the Rain Radar
— MetService (@MetService) June 5, 2023
Some areas may get an intense burst of rain as that line moves through
Track it on the Rain Radar at https://t.co/BmvSvfWjZj pic.twitter.com/qSkMONOFRr
Meanwhile, MetService had issued a heavy rain watch for Coromandel Peninsula, Gisborne, and Hawke's Bay until Tuesday afternoon.
A strong wind watch was also in place for Taranaki, Nelson, Buller and Marlborough west of Wairau Valley, but excluding the Sounds, until Tuesday afternoon, and for Wellington and Marlborough Sounds until Monday night.
Where are thunderstorms most likely to occur Monday?
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) June 4, 2023
high
medium
some pic.twitter.com/yh9VuaBk3s
Interislander sailings cancelled
Ferry sailings on the Cook Strait have been disrupted by bad weather.
The Interislander ferry service website said it had cancelled an afternoon crossing between Wellington and Picton, and an earlier sailing had to be delayed.
The Bluebridge ferry service was not anticipating cancellations from the weather, but warned of delays.
Snowy conditions down south
Waka Kotahi said crews had been flat out clearing snowy southern alpine highways as people travelled home from the long weekend.
Maintenance contract manager Peter Standring said mountain passes around Lewis Pass saw the most snow today.
He advised anyone travelling on those southern routes on Monday night to check the forecast and road conditions before setting off.
He said the snow was easing up but the roads were expected to become icy and crews would continue to monitor the roads on Tuesday.
Parts of the South Island received several centimetres of snow overnight and icy conditions were expected to continue through Monday.
MetService road snowfall warnings over Sunday night for Lewis Pass (SH7), Arthur's Pass (SH73), Porters Pass (SH73) have already lapsed.
Waka Kotahi South Island journey manager Tresca Forrester said crews were out monitoring the state highways and alpine passes 24/7.
"We put down chemical compound which helps where ice is forming on the highway, some areas where it is iced already we'll be putting grits down," Forrester said.
"But obviously if it's starting to turn and get a bit dangerous, our crews will close the road."
People should carry chains and travel during daylight hours if they were planning on using Porters Pass, Burkes Pass, Lindis Pass, Lewis Pass or Arthur's Pass, Forrester said.
"We're expecting extra people on the road, be prepared for extra traffic and potentially if you are travelling in some of those snow-affected areas, there could be a closure which may catch you up."
Snow on the Crown Range road. Road snow warnings are in place for here and other Alpine passes. Details at https://t.co/Yjbq0jgaoz pic.twitter.com/gWeRuCu19v
— MetService (@MetService) June 4, 2023
Mount Hutt was waiting to see if the wintry blast would be enough to open as planned for its 50th ski season on Friday.
The cold snap has dumped more than 10 centimetres of snow on the mountain, and staff have been able to get snow machines up and running for the first time this winter.
But field ski manager James McKenzie said they might still have to push out the date if the forecast weakened further.
"We didn't have anything really on the ground before this southerly came through, so it's quite nice to see the mountain changing to a bit more of a winter playground, but there's a reasonable way to go because we've only got sort of the first 10cm on the ground and we need a bit more than that to get it opened," McKenzie said.
"A week or so ago, it looked like it was going to be a phenomenally useful storm, with over a metre of snow forecast but everyday that we were closer to this weekend, those numbers dropped back," he said.
"I would be happy with 15-20 cm of snow and working with our snow bank system to get the rest of what we need to get our main trails open."
Photo: Facebook via Mt Hutt / Nicole Hawke
The opening date was a goal and subject to change - last year's opening date was moved back by 10 days, McKenzie said.
Prior to the snowfall, North Otago Federated Farmers president Myfanwy Alexander said farmers would be keeping their stock warm and dry in preparation.
Most South Island farmers had a plan for extreme cold weather in winter because of how frequent it could be, Alexander said.
Mōrena, Aotearoa
— MetService (@MetService) June 4, 2023
It's getting to the time of year when some sneaky minus signs start appearing in our 7am temperatures ➖
Queenstown's sitting at -1°C currently with Wanaka a little warmer at 0°C
Nelson is taking out the top spot with 13°C pic.twitter.com/HcbZbdrbL0
