Weather: 'Cloud burst' hits Grey District, flooding homes and causing a slip

About half-a-dozen homes flooded in the South Island overnight.

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) crews responded to flooded homes in Greymouth, Cobden, Brunner and Runanga in the Grey District.

Southern shift manager Lyn Crosson said they also responded to a slip on the road in Cobden.

Crosson said they were gearing up for more heavy rain and possible flooding this afternoon.

A heavy rain watch had been in place for the Westland Ranges from 8pm on Thursday until 3am on Friday, with heavy rain forecast to move northwards over the North Island on Friday.

West Coast Emergency Management said on social media it was a "cloud burst style rain event".

"Please take care as first light arrives."

Images uploaded by Grey District Council showed surface flooding in Greymouth.

State Highway 7 was closed between Greymouth and Stillwater. The New Zealand Transport Agency advised road users to avoid the area or delay their journey if possible.

The council said parts of Wickes Street, Richmond Street, Bright Street, Barkley Place, Peel Street, and Sturge Street, all had high surface water, and there were reports of a tree down on Taylorville Road.

Heather Keats with details of this weekend’s cold snap

MetService head of weather Heather Keats told Morning Report the heavy rain would head up the west of the country over the next couple of days.

"We've got a bunch of fast-moving features and fronts tied up and that will be thunderstorms, snow, heavy rain, maybe even some small tornadoes and water spouts. And that'll race up and over the country - the North Island - tomorrow, and then it kind of races away.

"But then we're left with a very cold southerly flow. So we've got every type of weather coming over the next sort of 48 hours."