Waioeka Gorge SH2 closed all weekend after slips and wild weather, rescue under way

An update on the closure will be given by NZTA on Monday.

An electrical storm hit the gorge earlier, which caused the slips and flooding.

Almost 18,000 lightning strikes have been recorded over the past 19 hours and a highway has been closed by slips as severe thunderstorms rumble across the North Island.

MetService says between noon yesterday and 7am today, nearly 18,000 strikes were registered between Northland and Manawatū and surrounding waters.

Taranaki and Waikato recorded the greatest number of strikes.

Meanwhile, a severe thunderstorm threat over Ōpōtoki, Gisborne and Whakatāne this morning has been lifted, with residents earlier told to take cover as the violent storms bore down.

MetService issued the warning at 8.44am, when a line of electrical storms lay from Rūātoki North to Waimana to Kutarere.

“This line of severe thunderstorms is moving towards the south-southeast, and is expected to lie from Matahi to Waimana to the Waioeka Gorge at 9.07am, and near the Waioeka Gorge at 9.37am,” MetService said.

The forecaster warned the thunderstorms would be accompanied by torrential rain and came with a threat of flash flooding.

MetService has lifted an earlier severe thunderstorm warning for the Bay of Plenty that came into force earlier this morning, but a heavy rain warning remains in place.

The forecaster was issuing fresh thunderstorm warnings for parts of the North Island throughout this morning as individual storm cells developed.

A heavy rain warning from last night was in place until 11am for Bay of Plenty and Rotorua.

A severe thunderstorm watch was also in force until 11am for Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Waikato. MetService said there was a “moderate risk” of severe thunderstorms bringing downpours with rainfall of 25-40mm/h.

It followed severe weather on Thursday, with several tornadoes to be sweeping across North Island areas, with reports of damage to buildings and downed trees and fences.

Mixed bag for today’s weather

Variable weather had been forecast across New Zealand today, with warmer temperatures in the North Island and colder conditions in the South.

MetService meteorologist Michael Pauley told the Herald the low-pressure system, which brought heavy rain and thunderstorms yesterday, would move off New Zealand.

“This pushes east where, around about midday, we’re seeing that main rain band lying just over East Cape, so that pushes off over the afternoon,” he said.

“Things will be getting a bit finer for the upper part of the North Island. We do see a few showers but they’re going to be relatively isolated.”

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Warm temperatures in the bottom half of the North Island were forecast to fall on Saturday.

Hastings was forecast to have a high of 30C today, whereas tomorrow a high of 19C was forecast, Pauley said.

The forecaster pointed to a southerly moving across the North Island as the cause of the cold temperatures.

“The low pushes off east and drags the southerlies in behind it.”

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