Downpours swamped much of Central and North Canterbury and the Kaikoura coast overnight.

The southerly also picked up and was gusting over 100 kilometres per hour about the Kaikoura Coast in the early hours of this morning.

Surface flooding has been an issue for some Christchurch motorists and the Avon River was very swollen throughout the night.

South Island weather analyst Richard Green said ‘ conditions are now easing in the Garden City but North Canterbury and Kaikoura are still in the firing line’.

45 mm of rain has fallen at Christchurch airport in the last 18 hours but totals have been considerably higher in suburbs exposed to the south.

Kaikoura is currently receiving some big rainfall totals but with the southerly hammering away, the air temperature of 7 degrees feels more like 2 or 3 degrees.

The low causing all the action is slowly moving north just off the east coast of the South Island and conditions are expected to improve slowly throughout the day.

Richard Green- S I weather analyst