Wet and windy weather around Hawke’s Bay has caused a river level to surge and roads to close.

A low-pressure system crossing the country on Wednesday night and Thursday morning caused MetService to issue more than 25 watches and warnings, including a strong wind watch and heavy rain watch for Hawke’s Bay.

The strong wind watch for the region expired at 11am Thursday and the heavy rain watch also ended at 2am.

This wild weather caused a tree to fall on to State Highway 2 about 8.30am on Thursday, near the intersection of Tutira Reserve Rd north of Napier, blocking the road for northbound traffic from 8.30am for several hours.

Meanwhile, Hawke’s Bay Regional Council warned residents near the Ngaruroro River on Thursday morning that a significant surge of water was expected to flow down the river because of heavy rainfall in the Ruahine Range. The council encouraged those near the river to check their surroundings and move to higher ground if needed.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi gave strong wind area warnings on State Highway 50 Takapau to Maraekakaho and on State Highway 2 Takapau to Pakipaki early Thursday morning, warning drivers to take extra care on the roads, especially for lighter or high sided vehicles and motorcycles.