Auckland ‘clobbered’ with record-breaking downpour and massive floods

Rain that would typically fall in the course of a summer fell in a single day, weather agencies say

New Zealand’s largest city Auckland was “clobbered” on Friday by a record-shattering downpour that led to more than 2,000 emergency calls being made, more than 700 incidents across the region and left at least three people dead and two others missing.

The wettest day on record in the city, that 1.6 million people call home, led to the sounding of a state of emergency.

The downpour caused floods in many areas and reached the city’s international airport, leaving hundreds of people stranded overnight inside terminals and widespread flight cancellations.