Northland has had heavy rain and strong winds for the past 24 hours with flooding in some areas. About 200mm of rain fell last night and it is still raining. Some farm land is flooded. Some roads and schools are closed and the police said that people should stay at home if possible. Logs and branches floating down flooded roads are dangerous for anyone driving.
One woman was driving on a rural road near Whangarei when the road became a river. She climbed out of her car then was swept down the river until she managed to grab onto a tree. She was lucky because a family saw her in the tree and managed to rescue her using a kayak and ropes.
The weather was caused by sub-tropical low air pressure. It is slow-moving so the rain and wind will continue until tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday. More rain is expected for Wednesday.
Most of the North Island has also had wind and rain today.
Vocabulary
logs – trees which have fallen down
rural – country
swept – past tense of sweep; here it means she had no control
grab – take hold
kayak – small canoe or boat
tropical – hot and humid like near the equator; sub-tropical – not quite so hot
low atmospheric air pressure brings wind and cloud