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• A crash on Auckland’s Southern Motorway has caused delays ahead of rush hour traffic as rain bears down on the city.
• Flights were disrupted in the South Island this morning due to low visibility, strong winds and rain.
• MetService credited the sudden storm to ‘an active, potentially severe weather system’.

A multi-vehicle crash on Auckland’s Southern Motorway has caused delays ahead of rush hour traffic this afternoon, as a severe storm continues to batter the country.

It comes after several South Island flights were disrupted this morning due to low visibility, strong winds and rain, and a raft of severe weather warnings were issued across the motu.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi reported a “multi-vehicle crash” blocking the right and middle southbound lane on SH1 after the Princes St on-ramp in Ōtāhuhu shortly after 2pm.

The crash had been cleared but commuters were advised to expect delays in an update at 2.35pm.

Police said three vehicles were involved in the smash and no injuries were reported.

Traffic had backed up over 11km to Remuera according to Google Maps shortly after 3pm. It said the route would take commuters 26 minutes and that the crash had caused a “17 minute delay”.

It comes as several flights were disrupted in the South Island this morning due to adverse weather conditions.

“[This includes] high winds, low visibility and rain at several airports,” Air New Zealand’s chief operating officer Alex Marren said.

“We recommend customers travelling today keep an eye on the Air NZ app and the arrivals and departures page on our website for the latest updates. We’d like to thank our customers for their patience.”

Nearly the entire South Island, and Wellington, is under weather warnings and watches, with up to 200mm of rain expected in 20 hours in some areas.

And it is a sudden and dramatic turn, with some centres dropping in temperature by as much as 21C from today to tomorrow.

In the North Island, fine conditions and temperatures in the high 20s were forecast for the Hawke’s Bay and cloudy showers for elsewhere.

‘Watch for rising rivers, flooding and slips’ - Niwa

Flooding, slips and fast-rising rivers were possible across the West Coast and Southland today, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research said.

MetService credited the sudden storm to “an active, potentially severe weather system”.

A heavy rain warning is in place for the Westland District and Fiordland, from 9am today until 6am tomorrow. MetService said up to 200mm of rain here was possible.

Southland and Stewart Island were put under a heavy rain watch until 3am tomorrow. MetService said there was a chance this could be upgraded.

Strong wind watches were also issued for Wellington, the Canterbury High Country, the Canterbury Plains about the foothills, Otago and Fiordland, Southland and Stewart Island.

MetService said wind speeds up to 100km/h were possible in exposed parts of Wellington.

The dramatic plunge in temperatures will see Christchurch drop from a forecast 30C today to 9C overnight tomorrow.

The heaviest rain was expected later this evening into tomorrow, MetService said.

Auckland, meanwhile, had a mostly cloudy Monday forecast with a daily high of 25C and a few showers in the afternoon. Heavy showers were possible tomorrow morning, otherwise, fine conditions were forecast.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.