Cyclone Hail Floods North Island, Storms Move South

Cyclone Hail has hit New Zealand, bringing heavy rains to the eastern North Island in the past 24 hours and now heading down the east coast.

MetService said the storm did not subside as there were “abnormal drops” in Gisborne, the Coromandel and parts of Northland on Tuesday, shifting concerns over rising rivers on the east coast.

All areas hit by the storm experienced varying degrees of flooding, road closures and other disruptions.

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* Cyclone Hale: Auckland hits hard; regions brace for worst storm for days
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On Tuesday afternoon, the weather system shifted toward the Hauraki Gulf and east of the Bay of Plenty and Aotearoa.

However, Auckland and the surrounding area were not completely free from the storm, with strong winds and heavy rain continuing into Wednesday afternoon.

Civil Defense warned that the tropical storm could become a “severe event with widespread impact” for areas across the East Coast of the North Island.

On Tuesday afternoon, MetService announced that nearly a month’s worth of rain fell in 24 hours in Northland and Auckland. The rain “continued in the flooded areas of Coromandel and Gisborne”.

The Coromandel Peninsula and Gisborne are expected to receive 100mm to 150mm of rain on top of what has already fallen, with a total rainfall of 250mm to 350mm across Cyclone Hale.

“Both places have already been hit by very heavy rain, [we] It is expected to continue for several more hours, exacerbating flooding in the region,” MetService said.

The Hikwai River rose steadily to 9 meters at 6pm. However, with expected rainfall, it could exceed 13m, which is a concern and could reach evacuation criteria.

“It’s getting to levels that we don’t want to see,” said Ben Green, civil defense emergency manager at the Gisborne District Council. Some households along the river voluntarily evacuated.

State Highway 35 will be closed from 7pm Tuesday as a precautionary measure against possible flooding.

Hawke’s Bay precipitation was set at 100 to 140 mm, with a maximum precipitation of 10 to 20 mm per hour.

Tamaki Makaulau, Northland (south of the Bay of Islands) and Great Barrier Island will be drenched by an additional 40mm to 60mm of rain in addition to the rain already falling, with heavy rain warnings in place until 7pm Tuesday. will be issued.

The same region, which includes Waikato and the Coromandel Peninsula, is in high winds, and southeasterly winds were expected to approach ‘high winds’ at times.

Severe weather warnings were displayed across Aotearoa as the weather system rolled its way down the country.

Be aware of heavy rain around Mt Taranaki and Tongariro National Park.

East Wairarapa and the Tararua Ranges will see 140mm of rain through Wednesday morning.

Strong winds are a concern in much of the lower North Island, including South Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu, Holofenua, Kapiti, Wellington and the Bay of Plenty.

Only one warning has been issued for the upper South Island, with heavy rains expected to hit the Marlborough and Canterbury coasts from 5am Wednesday to 1am Thursday.

Cyclone Hail formed in New Caledonia as a tropical storm on Sunday, but was downgraded to a tropical storm by MetService as it rushed toward New Zealand.

New Zealand’s top tennis tournament, the ASB Classic, has moved its scheduled day and night sessions indoors on Tuesday.

“Although there will be no public access to the venue, all matches on Indoor Court 1 will be broadcast live on Sky Sports 3,” event organizers wrote on Twitter.

Severe weather started in the Coromandel late Monday.

MetService meteorologist John Law said 77mm of rain fell in Whitianga in the past 24 hours.

Emergency management for the Thames-Coromandel region Dealing with “widespread blockages, slips, and surface flooding” 160mm of rain fell overnight, with a further 200mm expected on Tuesday.

On Monday night, emergency services rescued a 6-year-old boy and his grandparents after they were unable to move while trying to cross the Kopuaroa River, 10km south of Ruatria.

Ruatoria Volunteer Fire Brigade firefighter James Palmer said volunteer firefighters took action and formed a human chain to take four firefighters to the other side of the river.

Human chain tactics were again employed to carry grandparents and grandchildren across the river.

No one was injured.

Thames Coromandel civil defense chief Gary Towler said on Tuesday morning the effects of the turbulence were “very serious”.

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On Great Barrier Island, Trees fell, streams overflowed, there was a ‘huge slip’said resident Val Foreman.

Foreman said he was having trouble getting food to the island.

“Boats keep canceling, so supplies are running low. Your groceries are stuck,” she said.

SeaLink has confirmed that Tuesday’s ferry service has been cancelled.

The next scheduled cargo ferry was scheduled for Friday, but that too was weather dependent.

Meanwhile, north of Auckland on Tuesday morning, the approaching weather system flooded local roads and knocked down trees.

Heavy weather caused roads across Northland to close due to surface flooding and slips.

State Highway 1 across Blinderwinds to Waipu was closed and Waka Kotahi advised drivers to delay their trip north.

Earlier Tuesday, police urged residents to stay home, especially to stay away from the coast.