Recent rain has eased concerns over low river flows in Otago but in North Otago it has only provided a brief respite.
For the past two weeks, much-needed rain had fallen in Otago, especially along coastal areas of South Otago and Dunedin, the Otago Regional Council rainfall and river flow weekly report said.
In the week to midnight on Wednesday, 23mm of rain fell in Balclutha, Lone Pine and at Sullivan's Dam, but North Otago and Central Otago received little rainfall, with 3.4mm at Ranfurly and 2.5mm at Clifton Falls. .
However, thunderstorms brought heavy rain to Central Otago on Thursday, with Ida Valley recording 36mm in one hour, council resource science manager Matt Hickey said.
There was also a flash flood in the Pomahaka River yesterday.
Irrigation restrictions continued on the Shag and Kakanui Rivers, as they began to decline again, making them the region's main concern, he said.
"It's typical of Otago - having one area dry and the other wet."
The southwest weather systems had brought good rainfall to the headwaters of the Taieri River and it had returned to normal levels.
"It has alleviated a lot of our low-flow concerns," he said.
Those same weather systems had played "havoc" with the lower Clutha catchment, the lower Pomahaka reaching flood-warning levels for the second time this month.
Both rivers had been flowing at above-normal levelsbefore Thursday's rainfall.
The Manuherikia catchment had also received plenty of rain, which was lifting river levels, Mr Hickey said.
