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
Flood Room is monitoring
Published at 2.30pm on Saturday, 27 December 2025
Situation
A deepening low-pressure system north of the country is forecast to track southwest across the upper North Island today and into Monday, 29 December. This slow-moving system may bring moderate rainfall, particularly affecting the Coromandel Peninsula within our region.
There is moderate confidence that a heavy rain warning will be required for the Coromandel Peninsula.
There is also low confidence that east to southeast wind gusts will be severe in exposed places from Waitomo to Auckland including Coromandel Peninsula.
Please keep up to date with the current MetService weather forecasts and messages from local civil defence. The MetService weather app will notify you of severe weather alerts for your area.
Visit our Environmental Data Hub for the latest river level and rainfall accumulations.
MetService forecast
A complex trough of low pressure moving in from the Tasman Sea is expected to bring unsettled weather across the motu, with impacts reaching into parts of the Waikato region.
Heavy rain watch (Yellow) - Coromandel Peninsula
Period: 18 hours from 9am Monday, 29 December - 3am Tuesday, 30 December
Forecast: Periods of heavy rain, and amounts may approach warning criteria. Moderate chance of upgrading to a Warning.
Thunderstorms
There is minimal risk of thunderstorms or significant convection in our region during this time.
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
Streams and rivers may rise rapidly. Surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions possible.
Wind
There are no Wind Watches or Warnings in force for the Waikato region. The strong winds and catchments condition will likely increase tree fall susceptibility that may also trigger land instability.
Please keep up to date with information from your local power provider, the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and local civil defence.
Coastal impacts
Significant coastal impacts are unlikely across the region; however, minor effects may occur where peak wave activity coincides with high tide. On Monday, 29 December, high tide is expected at approximately 2.30pm along the Coromandel Peninsula east coast and around 3pm along the western Firth of Thames coast.
The main areas of concern are very low-lying locations. On the Coromandel Peninsula east coast, sites with an east to south-facing aspect may experience wave splash or overtopping during the high tide period. Similarly, along the western Firth of Thames coast near Wharekawa, there is a possibility of wave splash or overtopping at high tide.
No coastal impacts are expected along the west coast of the region.
Land instability
Areas that would normally experience land instability may be affected by any rainfall about the hill country and ranges of the region. This may heighten the risk of landslip and 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 will remain on standby to monitor our flood and land drainage schemes.
Please note, drainage schemes will take time to return to the pre-event conditions post this event. Rest assured our local operations staff are monitoring.
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 before 1pm tomorrow (Sunday, 28 December), or earlier 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.
