A deluge of rain forced street closures and delays around the Gore district last Friday.
It was estimated over 40mm of rain fell over the past three days, causing the Mataura river to rise up into streets and fields.
The Gore District Council stated 13 streets were closed around the river, and urged residents to be careful and drive carefully as there could be scour damage around the areas affected.
It was a dour start to the fishing season, with the river area muddy and waterlogged, but it did not stop one avid fisherman from getting out for a couple of casts.
Fisherman Kaleb Jack-Sinclair said although the conditions were far from ideal, he was still willing to give it a go.
"I’ve never seen the river like this. I was hoping to get out and get a bit of fishing done early in the season, but with the river like this there’s nothing you can really do about it.
"It’s always worth a try, though. Throw the line out and listen to some music, I guess," he said.
Environment Southland built a new stopbank in Gore late last year. It used 40,000 tonnes of gravel collected from a gravel island downstream from Mataura, after a build-up following floods in 2020.
They staid the gravel being removed would help provide more capacity for the river during flooding events.