UPDATE: Rain warning upgraded for Nelson, now at 'red'

-233 homes near the Maitai River evacuated

-Heavy rain warning in place until 11pm Thursday night

-A state of emergency declared

-Rocks Rd closed

-Nelson City Council urges people to work from home on Thursday, if possible

-459 cubic metres of water was flowing through the Maitai River every second at 5pm

-Many schools across the region will be closed Thursday, including all colleges

-All sports grounds closed for the weekend

Nelson is bracing for more rain over the next 24 hours as the Metservice upgraded its weather warning to red, a setting reserved for the most severe weather events.

It follows a day of carnage for the region with 233 homes evacuated as the banks of the Maitai River burst and water flowed into properties neighbouring the river.

A state of emergency was declared at around 3.30pm after evacuations started.

The flooding has caused massive disruption on the region's roads. Rocks Rd was closed around lunchtime Wednesday and is not expected to reopen on Thursday.

Police are urging motorists to only travel if it is “essential” and Nelson City Council has asked people to work from home tomorrow, if possible.

Metservice's heavy rain warning for Nelson city and Stoke is in place until 11pm Thursday night.

"Expect a further 250 to 400 mm of rain to accumulate on top of what has already fallen. Peak rates of 15 to 25 mm/h possible, especially until about 6pm Wednesday and again during Thursday morning," it said in a statement.

The rain is expected to cause dangerous river conditions and significant flooding. Slips and floodwaters are likely to disrupt travel, making some roads impassable and possibly isolating communities.

Schools to close:

Some schools across the region have told parents they will close on Thursday due to the state of emergency.

Schools that have announced that will be closed include Nayland College, Nelson College, Nelson College for Girls, Waimea College, Garin College, Waimea Intermediate, Broadgreen Intermediate, Henley Primary, Hampton St School, St Joseph School, St Paul's School, Nayland Primary and Birchwood Primary.

Residents evacuated:

Civil Defence says 233 homes were evacuated on Wednesday afternoon.

Civil Defence public information manager Chris Choat said residents north of the Nile St bridge and towards the Waahi Takarao Golf Course were caught by the rising river.

“The speed it came up would have frightened a large number of people,” he said.

Clouston St resident Mary Willett says she had just woken up from a nap around 1.30pm to find her entire front yard under water.

“I thought ‘this is serious’ I need to get some things together.”

Firefighters then knocked on her door telling her she had just minutes to gather some belongings and evacuate.

“They were so lovely, they carried me all the way through the back over the fences out to Nile St,” Mary says.

She says they helped keep the situation calm and even went to her garage to fetch a cage for her cat.

“I felt fine at the time but by now I know water is probably coursing through the house.

“I’m not going to worry myself about material things, we have brand new carpet and my car was under two feet of water in the garage when we left, so that’s probably gone too but we are safe.”

Residents are asked to evacuate to friends or family or to a Civil Defence centre at Saxton Stadium.

Phillida Bunkle, whose Domett Street house has stood since 1885 and has never flooded, says water hasn’t breached the house so far today, but concerns are high that it will, as the river continues to rise.

Phillida started taking things seriously when the Nile St bridge closed.

This is when they began taking valuables upstairs starting with the family records and pricey antiques.

MP says it's a 'tough time':

Nelson MP Rachel Boyack says it's a "tough time" for residents who have had to evacuate their homes.

High tide is expected to be at around 1.30am on Thursday morning, with another heavy rainfall due at around 2am which is why the decision was made to evacuate any home that was deemed at risk, she says.

"Rather than waiting to evacuate in the middle of the night, Civil Defence made the decision to evacuate before the sun went down. Decisions were made on predictions moving forward."

She says the defence force is patrolling those properties throughout the night for security as power has been turned off in the area to protect the homes.

"These are tough times and I really feel for anyone who has been evacuated, it is an anxious time."

River rise was "rapid":

Chris Choat urged people not to rubberneck in the area describing the rise of the Maitai River as "rapid".

“Don’t go have a look. Because of the dynamic nature of the event it could change quickly and you could be caught up in it.”

The flooding comes on the back of major rainfall across the top of the South Island today.

At 5.30pm 459 cubic metres of water was flowing through the Maitai River at Avon Terrace every second.

Twelve hours earlier, at 5am today, that figure was three cubic metres per second.

Rocks Rd was closed around lunchtime today due to slips near Magazine Point. It remained closed at 4pm today, along with Cable Bay Rd from the Adventure Park.

State Highway 6 between Hira and Renwick is also closed.

3pm UPDATE:

Landslide in Atawhai at Devenish Place going out to Dodson Valley Rd is worsening with boulders and rocks sliding down. Staff are on site with a digger.

Riverside Pool closed due to flooding as is Founders Heritage Park.

There is a sewage overflow at Gloucester St and council staff have been alerted.

There is flooding Frenchay Drive Atawhai and contractors are responding.

11am UPDATE:

Nelson City Council reports there has been flooding around some areas of the Maitai River and they have contractors out assessing the situation.

While trigger levels have not yet been reached to close bridges and roads, the council is asking people to stay away from the Maitai River.

There are also slips on some roads in North Nelson that run near the Wakapuaka River.

The Montgomery Square carpark entrance from Bridge St is also closed due to flooding.

Due to flooding, caution is advised if travelling along SH6 from Hira to Rai Valley over the Whangamoas.

Reports of stormwater overflow and surface flooding have been received near Nelson Intermediate School, Tipahi, Tukuka and Kawai St South. There are also reports of stormwater overflow along Rocks Rd.

Nelson City Council says the Rocks Rd closure will mean greater traffic on Waimea Rd and Rutherford St, through the detour currently in place that uses Van Diemen and Wellington Sts.

The severe weather and heavy rain is also putting pressure on wastewater networks across the Tasman region.

"Some of our wastewater pumping stations are not coping with the extremely high volumes of water passing through them and are overflowing," said a statement from Tasman District Council at 11am.

"This is a particular problem in parts of Golden Bay but as the weather event continues, other pump sites in other parts of Tasman may also be affected. As a precaution, please treat all surface water as potentially being contaminated with sewage and avoid contact with the immediate areas around pump sites."

In addition to the overflows in Golden Bay, there has also been a wastewater overflow at the Sunview Heights pump station, Hill Street South, Richmond.

Earlier this morning, Nelson Tasman Civil Defence said steady rain was setting in across Golden Bay, particularly in the Aorere Valley where between 22 and 29mm has fallen overnight, and more than 240mm in the last 30 hours.

“The Aorere River just reached a level at which we can expect the Ferntown Rd, near Collingwood, to be flooded this morning, although the current low tide may delay this slightly,” a statement read on Wednesday morning.

Other parts of Nelson Tasman have received low to moderate amounts of rain overnight – with less than 3mm overnight in Murchison and around Nelson City, while up to 18mm has fallen around Riuwaka.

“Due to the likelihood of the Riuwaka River reaching significantly high levels today, peaking at around 3pm, residents in the vicinity of Cooks Corner were notified on Tuesday evening of potential flooding around their properties and to make plans accordingly,” the statement read.

The Nelson Tasman CDEM Emergency Operations Centre has been set up in monitoring mode on Wednesday morning and they are expecting to become busier as the anticipated rain and wind descends on the area.

“We would like to reiterate that the weather is expected to get worse in the next 24 hours. Please ensure you take all the necessary precautions to prepare for potential hazards to keep your property, yourself and your loved ones safe.”

Surface flooding and slips have already begun to cause road closures in Golden Bay.

Collingwood-Puponga Road is closed by Whites Bridge, One Spec Road, Pohara Gully due to flooding. Wainui Hill is closed just north of Tata Beach due to slips. Abel Tasman Drive is open (up to the Wainui Hill) but has a lot of surface flooding.

A surface flooding warning is also in place for SH60 Upper Takaka and Collingwood. The road remains open but please take extra care and drive to the conditions.

Have you been affected by the flooding or had to be evacuated? Email us at [email protected]