Travellers to Auckland in New Zealand have been advised to prepare for the heavy rains that have been lashing the city.
The weather in Auckland has been unseasonably wet, and even more rain is forecast to be on the way. Canterbury and Otago are however likely to earn a temporary reprieve from the downpour that has been raging over those cities for several days, but they too have been warned to expect a return to the wet weather soon.
Weather watchers have said that there is a possibility of spotting a funnel cloud over Auckland. Funnel clouds have the capacity to become a tornado if they touch the ground, but such an eventuality is not expected in this case. The extremely high levels of rain that the city has been experiencing have fostered apprehensions that there could be serious flooding risk unless the downpours end soon.
An analyst with WeatherWatch.co.nz said, ‘There’s a lot of instability around Auckland today. Huge cloud build ups, big showers and some of the ingredients needed to create funnel clouds.’
It has been reported that the main area of showers is moving over South Auckland now, and conditions could improve soon. Weather analysts expect the rain to remain heavy for a few more days, after which sunny spells are predicted to offer a break in the weather.
North Otago rural residents were asked by authorities not to embark on any non-essential travel after flooding closed 43 roads in the region. The same applies to tourists bound for, or passing through the region. Rivers have swollen, with several of those in the region having reached their peak last night. It was also possible that temperatures could touch 20 degrees in some isolated pockets.
