With bad weather set to hit the South Island. Drivers in the upper South Island and the West Coast also need to be prepared.

The Metservice has weather warnings for Tasman, west of Motueka, and Westland south of Otira

For Tasman there is a heavy rain watch in place until 8 pm tonight with periods of heavy rain forecast

A heavy rain warning covers Westland for 36 hours from 4 am tomorrow morning, (Thursday) through to 4 pm on Friday.

The Metservice is forecasting periods of heavy rain, with 200 to 300 mm of rain in the ranges, and 70 to 110 mm near the coast. Thunderstorms are also possible.

This means there is an increased risk of localised flooding, slips, rock and treefalls across the state highway networks in these regions.

Road users should drive to the conditions, use their headlights if visibility is poor, watch their speed and following distances, and be prepared for hazards.

Drivers should also check road conditions and weather alerts before they travel.

Waka Kotahi Traffic Updates

Metservice Weather warnings

Waka Kotahi is providing regular updates to the public as the severe weather continues to affect Aotearoa this week. Our Journey Planner page is updated by our traffic operations centres 24/7 to provide the latest available information on state highway closures and disruptions. Remember to refresh the page when checking the status of highways to ensure the latest updates are displayed.

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