More rain is forecast in the Bay of Plenty as farmers work furiously to pump out already-flooded pasture.
At least 15 people were evacuated from their Whakatane homes at the weekend after a stopbank breach. They were cleared to return yesterday afternoon.
The area between Whakatane and Opotiki was worst affected, receiving 300mm of rain.
Rain and showers are forecast for the rest of the week, says MetService forecaster Peter Little.
“There’s gonna be a few showers today and that will turn into some more general rain tonight,” he says.
“There could be some heavy falls about the eastern ranges or the Bay of Plenty, but that area is not going to see significant fall.”
Meanwhile famers are hoping the rain stays away, as lambing season beckons.
Spokesman John Scrimgeour says it could be some time before the extent of the flood damage is known and the timing has been bad.
“It varies amongst farmers, but in some cases it’s just about to and others its very well underway,” he says of lambing season.
“To the best of my knowledge, stock losses have been pretty light so far. We’d like to think it is going to remain that way.”
The worst affected farmers are working to pump flood waters from their paddocks.
RadioLIVE