Road users are being urged to take extra care on the roads around the South Island today as heavy rain makes for slippery surfaces.

Several vehicle crashes have been reported on state highways in the lower and central South Island this morning, and there are also reports of slips affecting the highways, including on State Highway 88 between Dunedin and Port Chalmers.    

MetService has an orange heavy rain warning in place today for North Otago and Dunedin, with rain expected to continue into tomorrow. This amount of rain may mean difficult driving conditions, MetService says.

A heavy rain watch is in place for Southland and Clutha for the 24 hours from noon today. Road snowfall warnings are in effect from the early hours of tomorrow for Lindis Pass (State Highway 8) and the Crown Range Road.

On wet, slippery roads, motorists are advised to reduce speeds, increase following distances, watch their visibility, and brake carefully. More tips on driving in bad weather here. 

Stay up to date on weather conditions at the MetService site , and on the status of the state highways at our Journey Planner site.