Hawke’s Bay Weather: Heavy rain watch over the weekend could reach warning levels

Fleeting glimpses of sunshine in Hawke’s Bay this week will be nothing but a distant memory over the weekend, as the region is once again set to be hit by heavy rain.

On Wednesday morning, MetService issued a watch for heavy rainfall from Friday into Sunday between Hawke’s Bay north of Napier and Tairawhiti/Gisborne from Tokomaru Bay southwards, indicating it could easily be upgraded to a warning on Thursday.

“We have issued a watch at this point,” MetService meteorologist Mathapelo Makgabutlan said.

“It’s a bit far-fetched, but the watch is an early warning and something is on the way, and if it’s warranted, we’ll upgrade it to a warning.”

It is the second weekend in a row of a spell of bad weather in Hawke’s Bay.

Last weekend, a warning was put in place for the Ruahine area, with the Hawke’s Bay Civil Defense Emergency Management Group saying rainfall was likely to be around one-in-five-year levels, and that its wide range could cause a “small to moderate” rise in levels. Rivers.

“The concern will be erosion of river banks and bridge abutments due to continuous minor flow for several hours,” the post said.

Macgabutlan said the bad weather that occurred this weekend was caused by a large front and low pressure system that will move across the country from midday on Thursday.

“The front will bring wet weather and rain. Then over the weekend, we see a low pressure system forming over the top of the Eastern Cape, bringing a lot of moisture from the east and northeast.”

She said this type of persistent weather could be “very similar” to what people experienced last weekend. It will also be accompanied by a drop in temperatures as most parts of the country prepare to face a polar blast.

“We also expect a change in temperature in the country. For Hawke’s Bay, we will have some mild days on average this week, but at the weekend, it is expected to hover in the mid teens. So there is a sharp drop in temperatures on the way.” .

While it is too early to predict precise rainfall numbers, Macgabutlan said the warning level usually indicates more than 100mm of rain falling within a 24-hour period.

“The watch indicates that quantities may reach warning criteria.”

Advice for the area is the same as last week: people should keep up to date with the latest forecasts, as well as posts on the HB Civil Defense Emergency Management Group’s social media pages.

Mitchell Hagman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his base in Napier, he writes regularly on social issues, arts, culture and society.