Heavy rain could hit Otago and Southland today, possibly bringing up to 50mm in 12 hours, the MetService warns.
The rain comes on top of light rain on Tuesday-Wednesday - the most significant in a month - which brought 11.2mm to Dunedin airport, 5mm to the city, 10.4mm to Middlemarch, 4.8mm to Oamaru, 2.6mm to Queenstown and 6.8mm to Ranfurly.
The rainfall of 15.2mm in Gore, 14.4mm at Lumsden and 22.5 at Five Rivers had temporarily relieved the dry spell in Southland although coastal areas missed out.
A MetService severe warning was issued yesterday predicting a depression to deepen rapidly in the eastern Tasman Sea late yesterday, then cross the South Island today with a frontal band wrapping around the low bringing a period of south or southeasterly rain.
Accumulations of 50mm in 12 hours were possible today.
"It is uncertain at this stage whether the rain will be sufficiently intense or widespread to warrant a warning, so a watch will be maintained for these areas," forecaster Andy Downes said.
There could also be brief but severe gale-force southwest winds early tomorrow morning about the south coast from Bluff to the Otago Peninsula.
