Auckland hit hard yet again, thunderstorm wreaks havoc: '2 months worth of rain'

Auckland is being hit hard by fresh spells of heavy downpour yet again weeks after a massive deluge caused havoc in New Zealand's largest city. Several sites in the city on Friday (February 24) received over 100 mm of rain in six hours, "most of which came from intense thunderstorms moving through", as per the weather office that had earlier in the day sounded a severe storm warning. The situation is likely to ease by Saturday morning. North Island, home to a third of country's population, was among other areas that have been affected. "For southern Northland (from about Whangarei southwards), and Auckland including Great Barrier Island, a few of the thunderstorms could be severe with localised downpours of 25-50 mm/h. The risk is easing from the north this evening and should have cleared most of the area by midnight, but some risk remains in the south until early Saturday morning," read a statement by the weather office.

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Impact of severe storm in Auckland

"Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/ or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips. Driving conditions will also be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain," the Meteorological Service further highlighted. While locals were advised against driving in the hazardous conditions, some motorists were reportedly trapped in the affected parts. Around 30 students and their parents were stranded at a school in Northland as heavy rain caused flooding, New Zealand Herald, a local daily, reported, which also pointed that locals in Auckland were warned about "two months worth of rain".

In a tweet, Auckland Emergency Management stressed: "There is no access between Auckland and Northland due to road closures on State Highway 1. We are urging people to avoid unnecessary travel and shelter at home. Please don't attempt to drive through flood affected areas, it is not safe. (sic)"

This comes just two weeks after Cyclone Gabrielle hit New Zealand, nearly causing widespread havoc across the country's North Island, leaving at least 11 people dead and displacing thousands.More than 50,000 homes were left without power amid a massive damage to public infrastructure.

(With inputs from agencies)

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