Weather: Heavy rain hits Wellington, SH2 closed

Repeat range.
photo: RNZ / Jamie Tahana

One lane of State Highway 2 through the Hutt Valley has been closed as heavy rain hits the region.

Heavy rain warnings have been issued for the lower North Island on Monday morning as the weekend’s wet weather and strong north to westerly winds continue.

A heavy rain watch has been issued for the Horowenua Kapiti Coast and Wellington region, including northern Porirua and Upper Hutt, from 5am to 5pm. “Periods of heavy rain will continue and rainfall reaching watch criteria is possible. The chance of upgrading to a watch is moderate,” the MetService warned.

An orange warning has been issued for the neighbouring Tararua Ranges, with up to 120mm of rainfall expected, possible thunderstorms and the possibility of an upgrade to a red warning.

The New Zealand Transport Agency/Waka Kotahi warned drivers on Monday morning to “drive according to road conditions – wet roads are slippery, please reduce speed, increase following distance, avoid sudden braking and use headlights if visibility is poor”.

Localised flooding has caused one northbound lane of SH2 to be closed near Petone.

The severe weather also affected driving conditions on SH1 from Wellington to Levin, and SH58 from Mount Haywards to Pautahanui and Pautahanui to Judgeford.

“Inclement weather may close roads and highways for short periods of time. Drivers should check road and weather conditions before traveling.”

MetService has issued a similar warning: “River and stream levels may rise rapidly. Surface flooding, landslides and difficult driving conditions are possible. Clear drains and storm drains for heavy rainfall. Avoid low lying areas and drive with caution.”

Heavy rain has also forced the Seaview sewage treatment plant to discharge some of its effluent into Waiwhetu Creek in Lower Hutt.

Wellington Water said while it fully treated the wastewater, it might make the water look cloudy and people might notice an odour. The company said all recreational water users should follow advice from Land, Air, Water Aotearoa not to use the water for two to three days after heavy rain.

In the south, a road snowfall warning has been issued for Lindis Pass (SH8), Arthur’s Pass (SH73) and Porters Pass (SH73), with up to 1cm possible above 800-900m.

“As we get closer to spring we are starting to see a lot more erratic weather, these very unpredictable weather systems are moving through the west and that will be a theme later in the week,” MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabuklane told reporters. Morning Report.

“We’ve felt the effects of that today as well, the magnitude of this explosion, the winds have been pretty strong at times over the last few days – certainly in central New Zealand.”

The extra rains could help replenish the country’s hydroelectric lakes, which Prices are currently low, which helps push up electricity prices.

“We’re certainly crossing our fingers. We had a lot of rain late last week … and this week, we’re expecting a weather system to come in from the west and bring more rain to the mountains and tributaries, so we’re certainly hoping that that will help the situation there,” Macabukran said.

Meanwhile, it was relatively warm in Hawke’s Bay, with temperatures reaching 21C on Sunday. Napier and New Plymouth in Taranaki were already at 14C by 6:30am, but both were expected to see rain later in the day.

But locals shouldn’t count on the late winter warmth to last.

“It’s hard to believe it’s still winter, with temperatures still expected to be above 20 degrees for the rest of the week. As spring arrives, westerly winds will really bring more warmth to the east. Then, as we’ve seen in previous years, we’ll have another cold snap and temperatures will drop back down to 13 degrees.

“So it’s definitely been a roller coaster experience as the weather pattern changes from winter to summer.”

Exactly what spring and summer will bring remains unknown.

“Well, that’s how it’s starting to look, and as we’ve seen in previous years, spring is really a very variable time. That’s when the winds start to really pick up and weather systems come in from the west, and that’s certainly the trend, at least for the last week of winter. So we’ll definitely see what spring brings.”

State Highway 73 between the village of Arthur’s Pass and Otira is closed due to rockfall. This stretch of road has been closed several times since late 2019. last weekafter heavy rain caused rock and debris to fall on the west side of the rock shelter near the Otira Viaduct.

A previous heavy rain warning for Westland has been cancelled.