Cyclone Debbie has started to hammer the central North Island, forcing a school evacuation and road closures in Taranaki. The Waitotara River in South Taranaki is already rapidly rising, Ngamatapouri School has been closed and evacuated, and Waitotara Valley Road is closed. South Taranaki District Council, Taranaki Regional Council, and Taranaki Civil Defence are all monitoring the system, and say they'll keep locals informed. All districts were under heavy rain warnings with up to 400mm expected in parts over the next 48 hours. This morning the MetService rain radar showed the storm making landfall and widespread torrential rain falling across western regions of the lower North Island.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 04, 2017 02:48 UTC