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
Severe Thunderstorm Watch
Published at 10.30am on Saturday, 13 September 2025
Situation
MetService has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for the majority of the Waikato region. Due to the large area of the Watch, saturated catchments and potential for localised impacts, we have raised Flood Room to Monitoring. A very fast-moving front passes northwards through central and northern New Zealand late morning and during the afternoon, bringing a burst of heavy rain and strong winds, along with a moderate risk of squally thunderstorms with winds up to 110 km/h.
With some of the catchments now saturated with the rain over the last 48 hours, runoff from the catchments will increase with water courses rising quickly. As well as rising water courses and surface flooding, landslide susceptibility will also increase in some localised areas. With the possibility of high winds, there is increased risk of tree fall. There is also possibility of coastal erosion along already erosion-prone areas of the region's west coast, especially Port Waikato.
There is a possibility severe 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.
Please keep up-to-date with the current MetService weather forecasts and messages from local civil defence.
Visit our Environmental Data Hub for the latest river level and rainfall accumulations.
MetService forecast
There are no Heavy Rain Watches or Warnings for the Waikato region.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch
Period: 7 hours from 10am - 5pm Saturday, 13 September
Area: Waikato, Waitomo, Taumarunui, Taupō, Taranaki, Taihape, Wanganui, Manawatu, Kapiti-Horowhenua
There is a possibility severe thunderstorm 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 preparing for and keeping safe during a storm, see the National Emergency Management Agency's Get Ready website.
Likely/potential Impacts
Rivers and lakes
River levels are elevated in the Piako catchments through the Hauraki Plains. There are no rainfall events affecting the Waikato region, apart from localised thunderstorms; however, if there has been recent rainfall some streams and rivers may be above expected normal levels for 36-48 hours after the event.
Wind
Please keep up to date with information from your local power provider, the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and local civil defence.
Coastal
The west coast for the region, especially Port Waikato, may experience some coastal erosion over the weekend.
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
All infrastructure is working as it should. Local flood response staff continue to monitor forecasts to ensure a timely response, should it be required.
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 11am tomorrow (Sunday, 14 September) unless weather conditions change or weather alerts impacting our region are issued.
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.
