Some catchments have seen rainfall of up to 70-80mm and while river levels have risen, they are all expected to be contained within their channels.

MetService today upgraded a heavy rain watch to an orange warning, with an additional 20-30mm forecast to fall between 12pm-7pm Tuesday.

ORC Duty Flood Officer Lauren Harrex says “Otago Regional Council is closely monitoring rainfall and river levels in the Dunedin and Lower Taieri catchments. Rainfall totals in these catchments are expected to reach between 70-100mm. While there has been a lot of rain, flood infrastructure is doing its job and performing as expected. Rivers are expected to be contained within their channels,” Mrs Harrex says.

“At this stage, we do not expect widespread issues from river and streams, but conditions can change, and we will monitor closely. People in Dunedin and Lower Taieri Plain should stay up to date with weather conditions. Should the situation worsen, we are ready to act.”

ORC staff will continue to closely monitor rainfall and river levels. It’s expected rain will ease as the front moves off the eastern coast on Wednesday.

Information about road conditions and surface flooding in Dunedin are available from the Dunedin City Council.

For travel on state highways, people are urged to check in with NZTA about road conditions.