Between 70mm and 100mm of rain had been forecast to fall in Otago in the 24 hours to 10am today, much of it overnight.
Dunedin was hit with 67mm of rain between 9am on Monday and 9am on Wednesday, more than the average rainfall for the entire month of July.
There was some surface flooding in Three Mile Hill Rd near Ashburn Clinic and at Kensington Oval.
A large pool formed at Ashmore St in Halfway Bush, closing the road.
A resident, Aneesh Stephen, said water rose from about 5.30pm yesterday.
It was accumulating on his front lawn this morning and he and his wife, Jancy Stephen, were working from home.
A Dunedin City Council spokesman said the city's infrastructure coped well with the deluge.
There were no reports of major slips, scours or other significant damage.
People were still advised to stay out of waterways and not collect shellfish for at least the next 48 hours.
"At the moment, we’re under watch, so all of our contractors have mobilised their gear so they’re in a good position where they can reach it."
In Christchurch, where more than 50mm of rain had fallen by 5pm, localised flooding was widespread throughout the city.
Marlborough also experienced serious flooding.Otago Regional Council duty flood officer Eve Bruhns said the MetService had raised its predicted rainfall level for the region yesterday, which meant all flood warning systems were closely monitored.
"There is likely to be some low-lying flooding of farmland in North Otago catchments, including the Kakanui River, and the Gordon Rd spillway along the Silver Stream near Mosgiel may be triggered into action," she said.
"In Dunedin, there is not expected to be any overtopping of the Lindsay Creek channel in North East Valley or of the Water of Leith channel, and peak flows on the Clutha River at Balclutha are not expected to go beyond 2000 cumecs," Ms Bruhns said.
The expected peak flow was significantly lower than the peak observed in the February 2020 floods, Ms Bruhns said.
Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency said crews would be working on the roads around Otago, Canterbury, Marlborough and the West Coast for the next few days to repair potholes and damage.
Some sections may have Stop/Go traffic management and single lanes. People need to drive to the conditions and take care around road crews.
Take care on Clutha roads
In Clutha, people were advised to be cautious if travelling, as more rain was expected overnight on Wednesday.
The Clutha District Council said though flooding signs were being put up where required, not all roads affected by surface flooding will have them.
Coal Gully Rd is closed due to road drop-out following a large slip. Elliotvale Rd: Toko Mouth Rd to Black Bridge Rd and Toko Mouth Rd: Tokoiti School to Toko Mouth are also closed.
Caution is advised for coastal roads as it’s not known what impact a high tide at 3am would have on roads.
Surface flooding is widespread in the district with Clutha Valley Rd, Blackburn Rd, Pillans Rd, and High St at Kakapuaka among the many affected.
"The creeks are rising and a few more roads will be affected by rising water levels within the next few hours", council spokeswoman Diane Byers said.
The Pomahaka River was rising but was still below flood alert levels.
The Waimate District Council said "quite a bit of surface flooding" was also expected throughout the district.
Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan said the situation appeared to be in hand, although more rain was forecast.
"There is surface flooding and quite a few roads closed, but things are containable," he said just after noon.
Milton was one area affected by surface flooding.
The Queenstown Lakes area had a heavy snow warning in place yesterday, after predictions 15cm-25cm of snow might accumulate on parts of the Crown Range Rd between Queenstown and Wanaka.
Even though the road was closed, two cars became stuck in a ditch about 12.40pm and had to be freed by a grader.
South Canterbury highway reopens
Further inland, the rain was manifesting as snow, causing substantial dumps on skifields and at Aoraki/Mt Cook.
In South Canterbury, snow fell in the Mackenzie district and heavy rain throughout the rest of the region, while snow and ice caused several road closures in and around Fairlie.
Waka Kotahi/NZ Transport Agency said the last section of South Canterbury’s highway network (State Highway 8 Tekapo to Lake Pukaki/ SH 80 intersection) covered in snow and ice from yesterday’s storm reopened just after 5pm today.
The Waka Kotahi South Canterbury highway team had three plough trucks and two graders working from Military Camp to Tekapo on State Highway 8 this afternoon.
A loader cleared snow from bridge decks and gritting of the highway was under way to provide traction overnight and in the morning, says John Keenan, Maintenance Contract Manager, Waka Kotahi South Canterbury.
“Thanks to all the drivers who waited for the highway to reopen or took alternative routes while deep snow and ice and other vehicles that needed to be towed out made the journey impassable today and yesterday."
Highways will be gritted overnight given more ice is forecast. Drivers need to take a cautious approach, avoid sudden braking and be prepared in the morning for ice.
Passengers in four cars were also caught out by the closure of the Aoraki Mount Cook Highway (SH80) earlier.
mike.houlahan@odt.co.nz
- additional reporting ODT Online
