People in and near the Nelson and Tasman areas have been warned to plan for heavy rain on Thursday and Friday, and to keep up to date with the latest from MetService. Photo: Supplied/ MetService
Heavy rain is forecast for parts of Nelson and Tasman from Friday into the weekend.
MetService issued an orange heavy rain warning for Tasman, west of Motueka, and a yellow heavy rain watch for the Richmond and Bryant Range and Rai Valley.
The alert followed a bunch of orange and yellow warnings and watches issued by the service for both the North and South Islands for both Thursday 18 may and Friday 19 May. [ Read more here.
Forecasters said between 150mm and 180mm of rain could accumulate about the ranges in Tasman, with peak rates of up to 25mm per hour and lesser amounts on the coast.
And there was the possibility of thunderstorms in the afternoon.
The Nelson and Tasman orange heavy rain warning covered the early hours of Friday morning until early afternoon Saturday. While the yellow watch was from the early hours of Friday until Friday afternoon.
Given the forecast, Waka Kotahi urged motorists to take care on the roads.
It said the heavy rain could bring the risk of slips, rockfalls, and localised flooding across the state highway network.
Commuters headed to work on Friday morning would also need to take extra care as rain, wet roads, and peak traffic could increase the chance of crashes.
Drivers should prepare for bad weather, use headlights when if the visibility becomes poor, watch your speed and following distances, keep an eye out for hazards, and drive to the conditions.