Get ready to batten down the hatches.

That’s the message the Thames-Coromandel District Council had for its residents ahead of an expected 36-hour severe weather event that started early on Sunday.

Heavy rain and easterly gales were set to hit the upper North Island, MetService said, with an active front associated with a subtropical low moving south over the upper North Island during Sunday and Monday, bringing periods of heavy rain and easterly gales.

The forecaster said a heavy rain warning was in place for Coromandel Peninsula, with orange rain warnings for Northland and western Bay of Plenty. In Auckland a heavy rain watch was in place.

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Strong wind watches were in place for Northland, northern Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula and eastern Waikato.

Some 150 to 200mm of rain was expected to fall across the entire Coromandel district, with gale force easterly winds gusting up to 100kph, according to MetService.

A MetService spokesperson said between 60 and 90 millilitres of rain was expected to fall in the Auckland region between Sunday and Monday.

While Tāmaki Makaurau wasn’t expected to receive as much rainfall as Northland or the Coromandel, rainfall accumulation may reach the criteria needed for a heavy rain warning, they said.

Rain hitting Northland

Northland/Te Tai Tokerau was forecast to get 100 to 140mm of rain, with easterly winds potentially approaching severe gale at times. As of midnight Sunday, some place had already exceeded 50mm.

A MetService spokesperson said Kaikohe had secured the top spot as of 8am Sunday, having already seen 53mm of rain over the eight-hour period. Kerikeri and Whangārei have had 30 and 27mm of downpours, respectively.

Although Northland was the focal point of the weather system so far, MetService expect Auckland and further south to recieve rain throughout the day.

‘Keep yourself safe’

A short reprieve was forecast for the Coromandel Peninsula on Tuesday before stormy weather returned on Wednesday.

“Keep yourself safe,” said Thames-Coromandel mayor Len Salt, who added the district was taking the warnings seriously and asking people to pay attention to the conditions.

The council was expecting there to be flooding in some areas and therefore road closures.

Salt said the district’s roads were still vulnerable from a number of significant weather events, including Cyclone Gabrielle, that battered it between January and March.

Salt urged residents to read Civil Defence warnings carefully and avoid travel in the district if at all possible.

“We’re always cautious about weather,” Salt said when asked how residents were faring.

The peninsula was vulnerable, he said, and each year it was typically hit by between five and six major weather events that compromised roads and caused localised flooding which in turn impacted people’s ability to travel.

But people who travelled to the peninsula were by and large aware of the potential hazards, and its residents were “resilient”, Salt said.

After several significant weather events over summer, the district’s drains and culverts had been cleared, and contingency planning had been under way in case communities were cut off again, Salt said.

“We are extraordinarily well-prepared, but at the same time we ask people be aware of the conditions and take it easy.”

Between Saturday night and Thursday up to 750mm of accumulated rainfall could strike the district, Salt said, but ultimately residents would not know their fate until it hit.

The amount of rain that would fall would depend on the speed the front was travelling and whether it had a chance to build and accumulate more rainfall over a longer period, causing more damage.

In any case, the district did not have the same level of low-lying intense housing as Auckland which caused some of its areas to be particularly vulnerable, he said.

“We take each situation as it comes.”

Civil Defence controller Garry Towler said residents should prepare and make plans if slips, falling trees, flooding, road closures and power outages impacted and isolated communities.

“Although we have had a few good weeks to dry out and get major repairs done across the roading network, the entire Coromandel Peninsula is still very fragile, and we are expecting further slips and flooding this week – some could be significant,” Towler said.

The council will post regular updates on its Facebook page and Waka Kotahi and MetService will also have rolling information for residents.