Severe weather warnings: Roof blown off house in eastern Bay of Plenty

The roof of a house near Opotiki in the eastern Bay of Plenty has been blown off by the wind.

A tree was also brought down across a main road in nearby Wahau Bay as gales pummel the area.

Fire crews got a 111 call from the owner of a rural property on State Highway 35 in Hawai who said part of the roof had lifted off above the lounge upstairs.

Fire and Emergency northern shift manager Jaron Phillips said the owner managed to make it downstairs before firefighters arrived.

The situation was too dangerous for firefighters because the wind was still peeling the roof off the second storey of the house.

Phillips said they were moving furniture to protect it from the weather.

Meanwhile, firefighters were out with chainsaws further along State Highway 35 at Wahau Bay removing a tree that had been brought down by the wind and was partly blocking the road.

Emergency services were called about 11.50am and the tree has since been cleared from the road.

MetService has issued severe weather warnings for the east coast of the Bay of Plenty and Gisborne.

"We're expecting persistent rain until about 6am tomorrow through Gisborne and the ranges of the eastern Bay of Plenty," MetService meteorologist Ravi Kandula said.

A strong wind warning is also in place there until early tomorrow, with southeast gales expected in exposed areas.

The winds should die down by tomorrow afternoon or evening and light winds would persist from then until Friday, Kandula said.

Hamilton will get a light shower or two, but once they clear it should be mainly fine this evening, which will be good news for those going to the Kiwis v Tonga Rugby League World Cup game.

Weather Watch said sunny spells were possible in the upper North Island as a southeast wind flow moved in.

A bit of light cloud would develop in Wellington this afternoon. However, it should be dry this evening ahead of the All Whites clash with Peru.

In Christchurch, skies should also stay mostly dry, although mid-high cloud may stay around during the evening, Kandula said.

Tomorrow a ridge with quite a bit of moisture trapped under it would move on to the country, bringing a quite lot of cloud on Sunday, Monday and possibly Tuesday.

"It's an easing trend, but moisture [will be] hanging around for much of the start of the week."

Weather Watch said that although the working week ahead will be dominated by high pressure, another sub-tropical low could move through the north of the country next weekend.

Sunday's forecast

Whangarei: Cloudy periods, southerlies and a high of 18C

Auckland: Cloudy periods and southwesterlies. High of 18

Hamilton: Cloud clearing to fine afternoon. Southeasterlies, dying out evening, 18C high

Wellington: Cloudy periods, with a few showers. Strong southerlies, high of 13C

Christchurch: Cloudy. A few showers, clearing by evening. Southerlies and a 15C high

Dunedin: Mostly cloudy and a few showers from mid morning, then clearing in the evening. Southerlies, 12C high

(Source: Metservice)