Wet weekend for North and South Islands

  • 01/10/2016
(File)
(File)

Otago has been hit by wild weather overnight with a large electric storm causing havoc on the roads.

A stretch of State Highway 8 near Ettrick is underwater and motorists are being ask to drive with care.

Emergency services are being kept busy with a number of flooding-related call-outs.

Meanwhile heavy rain is on the way for upper and central parts of the North Island over the weekend which could cause floods and slips in the Waikato and Coromandel Peninsula.

Metservice says: "This amount of rain could exacerbate the already saturated conditions in these areas, causing rivers and streams to rise further, with possible surface flooding and slips.

A large storm is approaching our shores after ripping through South Australia, leaving the entire state without power on Wednesday.

The severe weather will have died off significantly by the time it reaches here, but Waikato will get heavy rain, up to 40mm today and 60mm tomorrow.

Thunderstorms are also on the cards.

Newshub.