A burst of lightning, thunder and heavy rain lashed Whanganui early yesterday, and there's more unsettled weather on the way.

Senior Whanganui fire station officer Aaron Summerhays said crews were kept busy as a result of the storm, which activated several alarms and caused a small electrical fire in the garage of a house on Heads Rd. The violent weather also took out Wanganui Golf Club's computer systems.

Power was cut to a small area of Gonville for two hours after the storm.

MetService meteorologist Claire Flynn said the weather station at Whanganui Airport recorded 8mm of rain between 5am and 6am, while 12-14mm was recorded at stations in the surrounding hill country.

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Ms Flynn said the rain was the result of a front that made its way up the country.
It also brought brief, but heavy, rain to Taranaki, with Inglewood recording 11mm over one hour yesterday morning, and Palmerston North, which received 18.4mm of rain in two hours.

And while a ridge of high pressure will bring dry weather to most areas today, including Whanganui, as children return to school, MetService is already warning of another approaching front. It is due to move up the country tomorrow and bring rain to Whanganui by Wednesday.

A low-pressure system is expected to approach New Zealand on Thursday, bringing further unsettled weather for the end of the week.