Flood room status
Flood Room is monitoring. For information on current river levels, flows and rainfall accumulations, please visit our Environmental Data Hub.
What the status levels mean
The Flood Room is monitoring
Updated at 2pm on Sunday, 27 July 2025
Situation
MetService have issued a number of Heavy Rain and Strong Wind watches for the Waikato region and surrounding catchments for Tuesday, 29 July, and into Wednesday. There remains uncertainty with the modelled forecasts, with updates issuing any additional warnings/watches expected this evening/tomorrow morning.
Regarding the previously identified series of potential events:
- For Thursday, 31 July, into Friday, the severe weather outlook indicates a low confidence that warning amounts of rain will affect most of the North Island northwards of Taranaki, the central high country and the north of Gisborne.
- The current long range forecast for the third potential weather system for later in the week has reduced at this stage, but we will continue to monitor this.
Mercury and Waikato Regional Council are no longer in Phase 1 of the Waikato Hydro Scheme High Flow Management Plan, but due to the forecast rain we may return to Phase 1 next week. Lake Taupō gates will be at maximum discharge of 300 cubic metres per second (cumecs) for at least the next few weeks.
With saturated catchments and elevated river levels across the remainder of the Waikato, any further rain will flow off the catchments with water courses rising quickly. Localised heavy rain may cause landslips, surface flooding and cause water courses to rise quickly. Saturated catchments with severe winds are likely to increase susceptibility of tree fall.
There may also be some minor coastal impacts along the southern Firth of Thames and eastern Coromandel Peninsula coasts. The cumulative and compounding impacts of these potential systems could be significant for all or parts of the region, please keep updated through Flood Room, MetService weather forecasts and messages from Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM).
For up-to-date information in your specific area please contact your local CDEM, see links below.
Visit our Environmental Data Hub for the latest river level and rainfall accumulations.
MetService forecast
A front moving east across the country is expected to bring heavy rain and strong north to northeast winds to several places. People are advised to keep up to date with the latest Warnings and Watches and check for additions and upgrades.
Heavy Rain Watch (Yellow) - Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty (includes eastern Waikato catchments), Auckland, including Great Barrier Island (may include northern Waikato catchments), Central North Island mountains (may include southern Lake Taupō catchments)
Issued: 9:37am Sunday, 27th July 2025
Next Update: 9pm Sunday, 27 July 2025
Area: Coromandel Peninsula
Period: 17 hours from 6am Tuesday to 11pm Tuesday
Forecast: Periods of heavy rain and accumulations may reach warning criteria, especially about the ranges.
High chance of upgrading to a Warning.
Impact: Streams and rivers may rise rapidly. Surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions possible.
Action: Clear your drains and gutters to prepare for heavy rain. Avoid low-lying areas and drive cautiously.
Area: Bay of Plenty (includes eastern Waikato catchments)
Period: 24 hours from 10am Tuesday to 10am Wednesday
Forecast: Periods of heavy rain and accumulations may approach warning criteria.
High chance of upgrading to a Warning.
Impact: Streams and rivers may rise rapidly. Surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions possible.
Action: Clear your drains and gutters to prepare for heavy rain. Avoid low-lying areas and drive cautiously.
Area: Auckland, including Great Barrier Island (may include northern Waikato catchments)
Period: 19 hours from 3am Tuesday to 10pm Tuesday
Forecast: Periods of heavy rain and accumulations may approach warning criteria. There is a low chance of downpours, especially during Tuesday morning and afternoon. Moderate chance of upgrading to a Warning.
Area: Central North Island mountains (may include southern Lake Taupō catchments)
Period: 16 hours from 12pm Tuesday to 4am Wednesday
Forecast: Periods of heavy rain and accumulations may approach warning criteria. Moderate chance of upgrading to a Warning.
Strong Wind Watch (Yellow) - Coromandel Peninsula, eastern Waikato and the Bay of Plenty, Auckland, including Great Barrier Island (may include northern Waikato)
Issued: 9:37am Sunday, 27 July 2025
Next Update: 9pm Sunday, 27 July 2025
Area: Coromandel Peninsula, eastern Waikato and the Bay of Plenty
Period: 16 hours from 6am Tuesday to 10pm Tuesday
Forecast: Northeast winds may approach severe gale force in exposed places. Moderate chance of upgrading to a Warning.
Area: Auckland, including Great Barrier Island (may include northern Waikato)
Period: 17 hours from 10pm Monday to 3pm Tuesday
Forecast: Northeast winds may approach severe gale force in exposed places. Moderate chance of upgrading to a Warning.
Severe Thunderstorms
There are no current thunderstorm alerts for the region.
Severe thunderstorm watches or warnings may be issued by MetService at short notice so please be alert for and act on these without hesitation – do not wait for further analysis by Waikato Regional Council.
For information on preparing for and keeping safe during a storm, see the National Emergency Management Agency's Get Ready website.
Likely/potential Impacts
Rivers and lakes
With saturated catchments and already elevated river levels across the Waikato, any further rain will flow off the catchments with water courses rising quickly. As well as rising water courses and surface flooding, landslide susceptibility will also increase in some areas.
Due to the catchment and river conditions on the Waipā and Waikato Rivers, water levels will remain elevated.
Wind
Saturated Catchments with severe winds are likely to increase susceptibility of tree fall. Please keep up to date with information from your local power provider, the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and local civil defence.
Coastal impacts
There may be some minor coastal impacts for the southern Firth of Thames, specifically the Wharekawa Coast (Firth of Thames southwest coast) and exposed coasts along the eastern Coromandel Peninsula.
The coastal impacts for the above areas at this stage are likely to be wave overtopping along low-lying coastal areas and erosion in already erosion prone areas. More information will be provided on Monday 28 July.
Land instability
Areas that would normally experience land instability may be affected by any localised downpours that develop about the hill country and ranges of the region. There is a heightened risk particularly for Waitomo and West Coast areas. People in these areas should remain vigilant for early warning signs of earth movement. Road users should plan ahead and keep up to date with the latest from their local council and the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.
What we're doing
Waikato Regional Council flood and drainage schemes
Our local operations staff continue to monitor our flood protection and land drainage schemes. All our schemes are operational and ready for the next event.
Please note, drainage schemes will take time to return to the pre-event conditions.
Waikato Regional Council telemetry
Our telemetry network continues to provide real-time data on rainfall and river levels and is monitored 24/7 by our Regional Flood Response team. Visit our Environmental Data Hub for the latest river level and rainfall accumulations.
Next update
Flood Room will be updated by 5pm on Monday (28 July) or sooner if the situation changes.
New Zealand Flood Pics
New Zealand Flood Pics is a photographic archive of flooding for Aotearoa New Zealand which is currently hosted by the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). It's free for anybody to upload or download flood photographs and your contributions are welcomed.
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