Another wet weekend ahead

MetService has issued a severe weather warning for the Coromandel from 4pm, Friday, January 27 to 4pm, Saturday, January 28, with 140mm of rain and strong north easterlies forecast.
Lesser amounts of rain are forecast to fall through until the afternoon of Sunday, January 29.
Thames-Coromandel District Council said it was still in “clean-up mode” following ex-Cyclone Hale, which departed the Coromandel only two weeks ago and left considerable damage in its wake.
“The impact will most certainly be felt with further slips, surface flooding and road closures expected across the entire network this long weekend as our district struggles to keep roads open following a wet and stormy summer so far,”  council’s civil defence controller Garry Towler said.
“All roading crews are on standby to respond to events this weekend. It’s not good news, particularly for the Kōpū-Hikuai State Highway 25A road, where investigations continue in an effort to understand the extent of the cracks.”
If you’re planning on taking the Kōpū-Hikuai (SH25A) this long weekend, then you will need to get your timing right, council said.
SH25A between Kōpū and Hikuai will be closed at 7pm and open again at 7am under stop/go traffic management, until further notice.
Waka Kotahi and their contractors will be on site monitoring the cracks throughout the weekend and, should the road become unsafe, it will be closed immediately.
If SH25A closes, TCDC will immediately close the Tapu-Coroglen and the 309 Road, stating that “these roads have several under slips and surface damage from previous storms, which may deteriorate further if they are used as a detour route”.
Alternative routes via Waihi and Whangamatā, or State Highway 25 Thames Coast Road, are open.
“It’s more important than ever this weekend to check in regularly with MetService, Waka Kotahi, Thames-Coromandel District Council Facebook and local media if you are out and about in the Coromandel this weekend,”  Mr Towler said.
“We have been hammered with severe weather all summer and this weekend is shaping up to hit us all once again, so plan well ahead. Don’t just have a plan A, make a plan B and C as well.”