Primary sector on alert as red rain warnings issued across multiple regions

MetService has escalated Severe Weather Warnings in Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, and northern Tairāwhiti Gisborne to Red Warnings for significant rainfall.

The escalation comes off the back of already impactful heavy rain over the past few days.

The Red Warnings are valid from 9:00 am Wednesday and go until 11:00 pm in Northland, 3:00 am Thursday in Coromandel, while Bay of Plenty and northern Tairāwhiti Gisborne go to 9:00 am and 11:00 am Thursday respectively.

Parts of Northland have already seen more than 300 mm of rain since the start of Sunday, with a further 120 mm possible today. Coromandel has received 150 to 200 mm of rain in 24 hours with impacts already felt, and a further 200 to 250 mm is possible on top of what has already fallen. Bay of Plenty could see a further 240 mm, while Gisborne may see 250 to 350 mm. Periods of intense downpours are also likely.

Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for Auckland and Great Barrier Island, Gisborne south of Tolaga Bay and Hawke’s Bay, and Tasman west of Mapua.

Meanwhile, McClay says Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) staff are closely monitoring the weather situation.

MPI has staff on the ground providing support where needed and are working closely with local emergency management groups including sector organisations, Rural Support Trust, local councils and rural businesses.

“Farmers and growers have prepared for the weather including by moving stock to higher ground where necessary. I encourage people to stay safe, avoid travel and keep out of floodwaters,” McClay says.

“It’s important to self-evacuate if you see rising water and to be ready for power and communications outages.”

Farmers and growers who require support are encouraged to contact the Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254.