Weather update 3.19  pm:

Weather update 10.16 am:

Timaru District Council’s emergency management team has been keeping a close eye on the weather overnight and with warnings in place we are continuing to be in monitoring mode. A range of severe weather warnings for wind, rain and snow are in currently in place for the South Island and parts of the Timaru District. With South Canterbury Anniversary weekend starting this weekend we ask people to keep and eye on the roads, drive to the conditions, and check MetService regularly.

Weather Warnings

MetService has an Orange Heavy Snow Warning for Canterbury south of the Rangitata River from 8am Friday until 8pm. This is the same warning for the Mackenzie Country, Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes. There is still some uncertainty on how low the snow will fall. Rain is forecast to turn to snow above 100 metres. Metservice has said Up to 10 cm of snow may accumulate down to 200 metres about the Canterbury foothills. Note, periods of heavy rain are possible below the snow level, and rainfall amounts may approach warning criteria. A Heavy Rain Watch is now in force for the remainder of Canterbury. Timaru is 75 metres, Geraldine is 121, and Peel Forest is around 256 metres.

An Orange Heavy Rain Warning is in place from 9am until Middnight Friday. Periods of heavy rain south of the Rangitata River, spreading further north from midday. Rainfall amounts may approach warning criteria, especially about the foothills. Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous. Timaru Civil Defence and Environment Canterbury will be monitoring local conditions closely.

State Highways

Waka Kotahi is monitoring state highways throughout the South Island and has the latest closures and conditions on its Journey Planner Journey planner | Waka Kotahi Journey Planner (nzta.govt.nz)

Useful links:

• Get tips for preparing for storms and flooding at getready.govt.nz
• Keep an eye on weather forecasts at MetService - Te Ratonga Tirorangi
• Local road closures will be posted on our live Road Closures Map (arcgis.com)
• River flow data is available on ECan's website  River flow data | Environment Canterbury (ecan.govt.nz)

Weather update 8.40am:

We wanted to keep you all in the loop about what the plan is for us as we hear about these wind, rain and snow warnings from MetService New Zealand. As we have seen over the last day the front is traveling up, we are in monitoring mode and we are looking at the warnings and what they could mean for our infrastructure and roads if they eventuate.

We want to say happy South Canterbury Anniversary weekend, and for those traveling be safe and check the conditions before travelling. We will be keeping an eye out on the weather.