Parts of Otago being battered by heavy rain today are expected to be hit again later in the week.
MetService has issued an "orange" heavy rain warning for the headwaters of Otago lakes and rivers for today, and says the amount of rain could cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly, surface flooding, slips and dangerous driving conditions.
Between 11am and 4pm today between 60mm to 100mm of rain was expected to accumulate near the main divide and 40mm to 80mm within 15km east of the divide.
Heavy rain warnings were also in place for parts of Westland and Fiordland.
Kinloch Rd near Glenorchy has been closed due to flooding.
Later in the week the MetService said it had a high confidence of warning amounts of rain to continue in Fiordland and southern Westland from Tuesday through to Thursday, and also spread into the headwaters of Canterbury and Otago lakes and rivers.
Gale northwesterlies were also forecast to precede a front and there is a moderate confidence of severe gale northwesterlies in exposed inland parts of Southland, Otago and Canterbury on Wednesday and Thursday
Meanwhile, the weather for the past week which followed the trend for the month of May - which has been warmer and well above average daytime temperature - is set to move on.
The above-average autumn weather has also seen the country experience less rainfall than usual for May.
"The temperature in Wellington hasn't dropped below double digits since Monday morning, and is not expected to drop below 13C this coming week," Lee said.
"Today's maximum temperatures across the country aren't expected to be below 14-15C for the main centres, well above average for most of the South Island."
With NZME
