Wild weather: The crazy pictures from the flood stricken south

KEY POINTS:

• A "blizzard-like" storm is descending on the country
• Timaru District Council has declared a state of emergency and is warning residents to prepare to evacuate
• Homes flooded in Ashburton
• Hail and thunder in parts of Auckland
• Up to 200mm of rain could fall south of Arthurs Pass and in eastern Otago
• Snow likely down to 400m over Central Otago and northern parts of Southland tonight
• South Island's eastern coastline expected to be hammered by large waves tomorrow
• 140 km/h gales expected to lash Fiordland and Southland and 120 km/h gales forecast for Wellington and Wairarapa

Timaru District Council has declared a state of emergency and is warning residents to prepare to evacuate.

Torrential rain in the South Island is expected to give way to "blizzard-like" conditions tonight while hail and thunderstorms are hitting parts of Auckland.

EOC Controller Justin Bagust said that people in particularly flood prone areas should now be making preparations in case they have to evacuate at short notice.

"We would strongly advise people in these areas to get themselves prepared to leave as soon as they feel at risk, not to wait for any official notification.

"This is a quickly developing situation and people need to be ready to go. This means ensuring you have clothes and fuel, as well as things such as knowing where family pets are.

"We are continuing to monitor the situation to ensure people have notification, but our strong message is that if people feel at risk at the moment they should evacuate themselves to friends or family."

Evacuation warnings have been issued for low-lying parts of Otago - with heavy snowfall warnings issued - while houses are flooded in Ashburton.

Homes have flooded in Ashburton and the council has issued a boil water notice.

The heaviest falls are expected south of Arthurs Pass and in eastern Otago where up to 200mm of rain could fall in 24 hours.

Snow is likely to fall down to 400m over Central Otago and northern parts of Southland tonight and to 800m about the South Canterbury High Country overnight.

Destructive 140 km/h gales are expected to lash Fiordland and Southland, and 120 km/h gales are forecast for Wellington and Wairarapa.

The North Island is under a large northwest flow which is producing very heavy downpours with hail and isolated thunderstorms.

In the North Island, more rain is expected tomorrow but showers should clear by night. There could be a dusting of snow on the Central Plateau.

Just after 5.30am a motorist had a lucky escape when a large tree crushed a car on State Highway 22 near Pukekawa south of Auckland. It's the second time in two months a moving vehicle had been crushed by the cluster of trees, and Mercer deputy fire chief Richard Logan said he was disappointed the trees were not removed after a woman's car was crushed in May.

Waikato District Council staff were this morning chopping down the other three dead trees in the township.

Meanwhile, Niwa is warning of a day of "terrific rainfall" as the stormy weather shifts south.

A Wellington railway station is already under water as the region faces a day of atrocious weather. Strong winds are also expected to hit during the day.

Source: NZ Herald