Farmers prepare for coming 'bad' storm

Impact difficult to predict

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Canterbury farmers say they are ready for a battering from the storm winding up over the region.

Forecasters say the worst combination of heavy rain and gales is likely to be along the Kaikoura coast today.

Canterbury will also be drenched, with as much as 140mm of rain in some inland areas by noon tomorrow.

Half a metre or more of drifting snow is expected above 800m, with lesser falls down to 500m.

Parts of Nelson are expected to get up to 200mm of rain.

Heavy swells and high seas are likely along much of the Marlborough and Canterbury coast.

MetService forecasters say predictions of heavy rain and gales are still on track but they are nervous about how low down heavy snow may fall today.

Severe-weather forecaster Bob Lake said it was "shaping up to be a bad one".

"The freezing levels are not all that high to start off with and it won't take much to bring snow down a bit further," Lake said.

"The concern is it could creep down below that 500m mark it's very hard to predict."

Twenty-eight severe-weather warnings were issued yesterday for much of the country, with MetService advising people to watch out for rapidly rising rivers and streams, flooding, slips and flying debris.

Canterbury civil defence authorities say they are keeping an eye on the Kaikoura area and the flood-prone Kowhai River.

The MetService website was overloaded at times yesterday.

Federated Farmers Mid-Canterbury president Michael Morrow said most farmers in the region were prepared for the storm.

"Most people are pretty well prepared, and certainly on flat land Canterbury farmers have adequate feed," Morrow said.

"But we are just nudging August and that can be a cold month, too. While most of the community feels like they are owed an early spring, there's no guarantee we are going to get it.

"There could still be some good doses of winter to come."

Some lowland sheep farmers were involved in lambing and some dairy farmers were busy with calving, he said.

Federated Farmers high-country chairman Donald Aubrey said high country farmers did not expect major problems.

"It certainly looks like there's going to be a bit of a dumping," he said.

"We'll be watching it closely," he said.

"Much of the inland region is quite wet now, but certainly nothing like Northland, so we anticipate rivers will be up but don't expect anything serious."