Some people in the Kaikōura district could be without power for days after severe flooding caused widespread disruption across the region.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Kaikōura district after the Kōwhai River burst its banks this morning, causing significant flooding.

MainPower said parts of its network are experiencing outages because of the severe weather and damage caused by a washout at Cribb Creek Bridge.

Footage sent to chrislynchmedia.com by Lee Dench shows contractors reacting with shock at the extent of the damage, with large sections of the area badly washed out.

State Highway 1 is closed near Hawkswood, while footage from NZTA shows floodwaters from the Conway River earlier today.

Farmland near the Conway River has also been flooded, while footage taken from the rail bridge shows how quickly the river has been rising.

Kaikōura Mayor Craig Mackle earlier told chrislynchmedia.com the situation was not looking good and the worst was yet to come.

A Red Warning for Heavy Rain remains in place for eastern Marlborough and upper Canterbury, especially between Ward and Hanmer Springs and southeast of the Awatere Valley, including the Kaikōura Ranges.

MetService said the weather system continues to push a rain band over eastern Marlborough, with significant rainfall already recorded and more expected before conditions ease around 6am on Wednesday.

MetService meteorologist Paris Marshall said, “Heavy rain of this magnitude brings the risk of rapidly rising rivers, surface flooding, slips, and dangerous driving conditions. Road closures are also possible, particularly where rain turns to snow over higher ground.”

Red Warnings are reserved for the most extreme weather events, where significant impacts and widespread disruption are expected.