Short bursts of intense, heavy rain are forecast for the West Coast, prompting an emergency management meeting, while strong winds are set to buffet parts of the South Island.
The MetService has issued orange heavy rain warnings for the Westland District from 9pm on Friday, and for Buller and parts of Tasman from early on Saturday.
The already sodden West Coast is tipped to get 150 to 200mm of rain about the ranges, possibly up to 250mm near the glaciers, and 70 to 120mm nearer the coast.
Peak rates of 40 to 50mm/h are expected on Saturday morning about the ranges.
A local State of Emergency was declared in Westland last weekend after torrential rain lashed the district and caused rivers to rise rapidly.
West Coast Regional Council chief executive Darryl Lew said 95 percent of the Waiho (Waihau) River's main channel was now flowing into the Tatare Stream.
The Waiho Technical Advisory Group had been preparing for this to happen, he said.
WCRC councillors, Westland District Council, Department of Conservation, NZTA/Waka Kotahi and community leaders attended a briefing at 1.30pm.
"We would like to assure the community that Council is monitoring the river flow and will be providing an update on the next steps on Friday afternoon," Lew said.
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said people in Westland should prepare for intense rain overnight.
"The rain event we had last week brought quite a lot of rain up in the ranges and that has all fed into the rivers, and as we saw mid-week we had some more heavy rain out there, so river levels are maybe running a bit higher than they were about two weeks ago," she said.
"This rain we're expecting in the overnight period will be bringing extra rain on top of that so we are just keeping an eye on that.
"If people are in that area, it might be a good idea to see what your plans are for the overnight period and make sure you are in a safe place."
Makgabutlane said the rain was expected to ease off on Saturday morning.
Tasman residents, meanwhile, should expect 70-90mm of rain; while Buller should expect 75-100mm, especially about the ranges.
Strong winds in parts of South Is
A strong wind warning is in place for the Canterbury High Country from midnight until 8am on Saturday.
MetService said there would be severe gale north to northwesterlies gusting 120 km/h in exposed places.
Strong winds may also buffet the Queenstown Lakes District and Southland, north of Lumsden, from 11pm until 4am tomorrow.
Northerly winds may approach severe gale in exposed places.
Strong wind gusts could damage trees, powerlines and unsecured structures. Driving may be hazardous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.
- RNZ and ODT Online
