Watch: Heavy rain turns Timaru roads into rivers as emergency services respond to flooding

A string of Timaru properties have this morning been flooded, with the local Fire Service responding to 16 separate incidents and inundated with calls for help.

A fire spokesperson said calls for assistance began at 10am, with each relating to flooding in multiple properties.

All crews have since been stood down, and the Timaru Fire Service wanted to reiterate any sand bagging is done by the council not the them.

The fire service spokesperson said it is now a "wait and see game".

MetService meteorologist Amanda DeMonte says three times as much rain has fallen in the past day than came down in all of November.

The town has received a whopping 28mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours.

Christchurch is also forecast for rain this evening.