At 9:25am MetService have escalated severe weather warnings in Otago to a Red Warning for Heavy Rain.

MetService Red Warnings are reserved for the most extreme weather events where significant impact and disruption is expected.

The escalation to a Red Warning comes as the region is set to experience a prolonged period of rainfall following a very wet September.

The Red Warning is valid from today (Thursday) 11am to Friday 9pm, with one to two months’ worth of rain forecast across the region within this time.

MetService meteorologist John Law says, “This region is especially vulnerable to heavy rainfall, especially following the wet weather we have already seen this year.  Easterly winds are set to drive rain into Dunedin, coastal Clutha and eastern Otago throughout Thursday and into Friday.”

A Red Warning signifies that people need to act now as immediate action is required to protect people, animals and property from the impact of the weather. People should also be prepared to follow the advice of official authorities and emergency services.

This is the second Red Warning MetService has issued this year, and it’s the 15th Red Warning weather event since the highest alert level was introduced back in May 2019.

Keep up to date with weather and warnings via metservice.com or our free MetService weather app.

MetService also now provides push notifications for Red Severe Weather Warnings via our app.  More information can be found here about enabling them.

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