Keep brollies at the ready
Keep your raincoats and gummies at the ready — wet weather is set to continue for the final week of school holidays with a risk of thunderstorms and heavy rain warnings.
It has been a wet weekend for most as a slow moving low pressure system approaches from the Tasman, expected to bring more heavy rain today.
But it’s not all bad. A brief window of fine weather can be expected on Thursday before another front moves over the country. Then, it will be back to board games and watching movies on the couch as more rain is set to wash away the holidays.
The heaviest falls this weekend were expected around Nelson where a heavy rain warning was in force from Saturday evening until tonight. The intensity of downpours could reach 25mm an hour today, with thunderstorms possible too.
MetService warned rain could cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly as well as surface flooding and slips. Rain could also make driving hazardous.
A heavy rain watch has been issued for parts of the central North Island and upper South Island including Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Tongariro National Park, Mt Taranaki and coastal Kaikoura, through to Monday.
As if that wasn’t enough, there was a moderate risk of thunderstorms for most parts of the North Island including Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki, Whanganui, Coromandel Peninsula and the Bay of Plenty this afternoon and evening.
MetService meteorologist Tom Bell said thunderstorms could bring lightning to Auckland on an already wet Sunday.
The outlook for the South Island was not much brighter with moderate risk of thunderstorms for Nelson, northern Buller, Marlborough Sounds and western Marlborough ranges until the evening.
Thursday will be the day to get out and play, with a ridge of high pressure set to deliver a fine day for most parts of country.
The North Island may just get lucky with a few hours of sunshine on Friday as well.
However the settled weather is likely to be short-lived as another front is expected on Friday and Saturday, with the rain set to return.