Don’t let it rain on our parade
Slow-moving system will last for days, bringing thunderstorms and heavy rain
Brace for wet and wild weather today — with thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast for the upper North Island and eastern South Island.
A deep low crawling in from the west is bending wet northeasterlies across the country. The slow-moving system will last for days.
All eyes will be on the sky in Auckland this morning with the Farmers Santa Parade due to start at 1pm. A decision on whether to go ahead will be announced at 10am.
Rain is forecast today from Northland to Otago, with only Southland, and in the afternoon Westland, expected to see much sun.
MetService forecaster Ravi Kandula said a heavy-rain “watch” was in place from 5am to 5pm today for the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua. A watch is a step short of a warning.
Kandula said in the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua there was the potential for “warning amounts” of rain — 50mm in the 12-hour period — to accumulate.
Heavy rain watches were also issued for Northland to 9am today; Auckland, Great Barrier Island and Coromandel Peninsula to 1am; eastern Marlborough to 9pm tomorrow; Canterbury plains and high country and North Otago to 6am tomorrow.
Aucklanders can expect periods of possibly heavy rain today and even a chance of thunderstorms. But the downpours should ease to showers by afternoon.
Thunderstorms are possible in many North Island areas and temperatures should mostly be in the high teens or early 20s, and up to 23C in Auckland.
The South Island’s east coast joins in the dousing today but temperatures are predicted to be in the mid-teens.
Invercargill looks likely to escape the rain, with a forecast of fine breaks and 19C today.
Kandula said the “very slow moving” weather system would control our weather until about Wednesday, when it would start to move east”.