27 Jan 2024

Heavy rain for parts of the North Island on Sunday

9:40 pm on 27 January 2024
Wet weather in Wellington.

File photo. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

A front moving across the North Island from the west tomorrow will bring a period of heavy rain to many parts of the island, MetService says.

Multiple heavy rain watches were in place, including for Waitomo, Taumarunui, Taupō, and Tongariro National Park for 12 hours from 12pm on Sunday.

The eastern ranges of the Bay of Plenty and north Taranaki, including the mountain, also had heavy rain watches for Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile, a slow-moving front is forecast to bring rain into the Westland District, south of Franz Josef and Fiordland, with heavy rain watches for both areas overnight.

This comes after the region has already been hit with wet weather today and last night.

Forecaster William Nepe said the heaviest rain fell in the ranges near the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers.

He said Haast received 100mm of rain, and the Franz Josef township saw 80mm.

"Several rain gauges in the West Coast, in the Westland District specifically, have in the last six hours received between 150mm and 200mm and some of the hourly rain rates have been in the order of 35mm to 45mm an hour."

MetService has lifted a heavy rain watch for the Taraua Range, as well as a strong wind watch for Wellington, including Remutaka Hill Road.

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