7 Oct 2019

Warning of heavy rain, flooding for West Coast

4:21 pm on 7 October 2019

People on the West Coast are being warned of heavy rain, and the risk of flooding, in the next few days.

MetService this afternoon issued a heavy rain warning for Westland.

Between 6am tomorrow and 1pm on Thursday, 400mm to 600mm of rain is likely to accumulate about the ranges, and 125mm to 175mm nearer the coast.

The West Coast Civil Defence Emergency Management Group said it is a busy time for recreational activities around waterways and coastal areas.

The regional director, Mark Crowe, said large numbers of whitebaiters are out fishing and, combined with the second week of the school holidays, more people than usual are likely to be in areas at risk of flooding.

He said the forecast amount of rain is considerable, even for an area that typically can have large amounts, and is likely to cause disruption.

Meanwhile, State Highway 7 between Greymouth and Stillwater will remain closed for at least the rest of the week, after a landslide last Wednesday.

The Transport Agency said the landslide is still moving, so people will need to continue using a detour on the north side of the Grey River via Taylorville.

Until the landslide can be stabilised or cleared, the Tranzalpine rail journey is also terminating at Arthur's Pass.

The Transport Agency said it's monitoring the rate of slip movement and will reassess the situation by 2pm on Friday.