Heavy rain warnings coupled with strong winds

Most parts of Aotearoa will have a wet start to the week, but northern and western areas will bear the brunt of the heavy rain.

A low over the Tasman Sea is moving east, bringing bad weather and possible thunderstorms till tomorrow.

It hit Northland yesterday afternoon, but was expected to pass over the upper North Island relatively quickly, MetService meteorologist Alain Baillie said. It will linger around Bay of Plenty and Westland, with wet weather expected till tomorrow evening.

There will be showers with fine breaks once the rain band passed over the north, he said, whereas the South Island was in for a wet week.

MetService has issued heavy rain warnings and watches for northern and western parts of the country, with strong wind watches also in force for the upper North Island.

An orange heavy rain warning was in place for Northland until 6am today. Peak rates of 15 to 25mm per hour were expected with thunderstorms from yesterday evening. The same warning was in place for Bay of Plenty, about and west of Whakatā ne and including Rotorua, with 60 to 90mm of rain and possible thunderstorms expected.

But Baillie said the trough would linger there longer, with warnings in place till 9pm today.

Bay of Plenty east of Whakatā ne and Gisborne north of Tokomaru Bay was also at risk of rain, with a warning in place from 1am today to 3am tomorrow. People were told to expect 100 to 140mm of rain about the ranges, with 50 to 80mm nearer the coast, and possible thunderstorms.

The weather was supposed to hang around Westland, Baillie said. Warnings were in place till 6pm tomorrow.

People should expect 220 to 280 mm of rain to accumulate about the ranges, and 80 to 120mm near the coast. The heavy rain was expected to ease for a time tomorrow morning. ‘‘There will be a lot of water coming down those rivers,’’ he said.

Tasman, west of Motueka, had a warning from 2am to 5pm today, with 80 to 120mm of rain expected about the ranges and 40 to 60mm nearer the coast.

Heavy rain watches were also in place for the early hours of this morning and into tomorrow for Auckland and Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula and Mt Taranaki.

MetService had also issued them in Buller, Richmond and Bryant ranges, including the Rai Valley, Tasman and Fiordland.

Baillie said rain would continue in the South Island until Thursday.