Evening of 2 January 2021

Further to the advisory issued earlier today, forecast rainfall is continuing, with rivers expected to continue to rise, possibly significantly, overnight.

Rivers are now running high throughout much of Otago, primarily in the Taieri, Clutha, Manuherekia and Kakanui catchments. With rainfall intensities through the evening expected to remain high across the region, rivers are expected to continue to rise.

Greatest intensities of rainfall are predicted for coastal areas overnight; the Leith and Lindsay Rivers in urban Dunedin are continuing to be closely monitored.

Engineering staff have been monitoring ORC flood scheme infrastructure region-wide, including pump stations, flood-banks and channels, with all schemes well-prepared and operational. Coastal mouths are being monitored and have been opened where needed.

ORC’s 24/7 duty flood team are continuing to monitor impacts on rivers closely as the rain event continues. Further updates will be issued tomorrow or as needed.

--- Eve Bruhns, ORC duty flood officer

Stay up-to-date through:

ORC web info hub for this event: https://www.orc.govt.nz/managing-our-environment/natural-hazards/flooding/heavy-rain-event-january-2021

ORC flood alerts on twitter: https://twitter.com/orcfloodinfo

Up-to-date river levels, flow and rainfall information at sites across Otago: www.orc.govt.nz/managing-our-environment/water/water-monitoring-and-alerts

Weather watches and warnings: www.metservice.com

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