WeatherWatch head forecaster Phil Duncan says a further 60mm was forecast to fall today before weather patterns return to normal following light showers tomorrow.
Farmers in the Canterbury foothills and river headwaters report this morning that rain was easing and flood waters were starting to fall with weather warnings expected to be lifted at 7pm.
After leaving deluges of up to 380mm in parts of the Canterbury high country, 150mm in Ashburton and 100mm in Christchurch, Duncan says the front will head north but is likely to weaken as it makes its way up the North Island but will not deliver meaningful rain to parched areas of the East Coast.
Over the weekend the one in 100 year rain event caused the imposition of a state of local emergency to be declared for Canterbury after widespread flooding forcing hundreds of homes to be evacuated, road closures and damaged infrastructure throughout Mid Canterbury and North Canterbury.
An evacuation order is in place today for those living adjacent to the Eyre River, Fernside while the Ashburton, Selwyn, Irwell and Waihi Rivers have started to overtop their banks.
Duncan says a spell of fine weather will be welcomed with many areas, including parts of Canterbury, forecast to be drier than usual for the coming week.
“Overall, it is a good week to dry out.”
He says the weather event has similarities to flooding in Napier last December.
In both events a funnel of wet weather pulled moist air out of the tropics, which it then concentrated on a narrow localised area, in this case the Mid Canterbury high country.
