Services » Regional Services » River levels and rainfall
LATEST RIVER LEVEL AND FLOW READINGS: View our latest river level and flow readings. Sites are listed alphabetically.
LATEST RAINFALL READINGS: Get our latest rainfall readings. Sites are listed alphetically.
MAKE A CALL: Need to hear it? You can also ring our 0832 InfoLines for the latest information.
RIVER LEVEL AND FLOW MAP: Use a map to locate the flow and level monitoring point closest to you.
RAINFALL MAP: Use a map to locate the rainfall monitoring point closest to you.
FLOOD WARNINGS AND UPDATES: Visit our virtual flood room for the latest information.
Waikato Regional Council’s automated recorder sites constantly check on river levels and rainfall around the region. The information is sent electronically to our Hamilton office, and the information on this website is updated every 3 hours. Information is stated in NZ standard time (no allowance is made for daylight saving). In times of flood this information may get updated more frequently.
Waikato Regional Council has responsibilities for managing flood risk in the Waikato region.
We keep track of river levels to see how quickly rivers are rising during storms,and we have flood warning systems in place to help us manage floods to protect people and their property.
We also need to know how much rain is falling at sites around the region, so we can:
It can take a long time for rain falling in the headwaters of a catchment to reach the lower stretches of a river. This means that people living close to rivers may not know that river levels are going to rise because they have had little rain on their property.
For example, it can take days for water in the Waikato River to travel from the headwaters to Port Waikato. But if land in the catchment is already very wet, then travel times are shortened. On smaller rivers such as the Ohinemuri, travel times can be much shorter, perhaps only hours. Keeping an eye on rainfall upstream helps people manage their flood risk.
In some areas the opposite of flooding causes problems. River levels can fall during long dry periods. Our automated recorder sites alert us when there are low flows, and we may start on-site monitoring of streams in sensitive areas. We need to monitor the amount of water being taken to ensure there is enough water for:
Water can be used for domestic needs or for stock in small amounts as long as there is little effect on water flows. In most other cases, a resource consent is necessary to take water.
People use many rivers in the Waikato region for recreation. Rafters, trout fishers or kayakers are interested in river levels to plan their activities.
MetService - special weather bulletins
Land Information New Zealand – tidal predictions
Find out more about river flooding in the Waikato region.
Read about the Smart Water Use project, a region-wide focus on water conservation, and find out what you can do to conserve our region's precious water resources.
Find out about how the Southern Oscillation Index impacts on the river levels and rainfall in the Waikato region.
