Cyclone Cook: Country in for a wet week with severe weather warnings in place

KEY POINTS:

• Heavy rain is expected to start falling across the North Island today
• Cyclone Cook expected to make landfall tomorrow
• State of emergency declared across flood-ravaged Bay of Plenty
• Schools in eastern Bay of Plenty shut ahead of deluge
• Civil Defence authorities across the country warn people to be on high alert

Steady rain is falling across both islands with the country on high alert for potentially potent back-to-back storms that threatens to plunge regions into chaos ahead of Easter.

Vast tracts of New Zealand are in the path of a sub-tropical deluge where many places will see a month's worth of rain will fall in the space of a day and damaging gales wreak havoc.

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MetService is warning of widespread flooding and conditions so hazardous people should seriously consider altering Easter travel plans.

Here's the latest track map for TC Cook as it heads our way. Check https://t.co/hnwmGxU1gR for the most up-to-date weather information. ^NZ pic.twitter.com/X2s4WpCfyG

— MetService (@MetService) April 11, 2017

The flood-ravaged Bay of Plenty is already in a state of emergency as Cyclone Cook advances closer to our shores.

Ahead of this a low coming off the Tasman that is packed with heavy rain affecting the South Island before tracking north.

Already rain is starting to fall across the top of the South Island and brushing over the Coromandel.

Ahead of the forecast bad weather, the Red Cross has pre-positioned supplies and has teams across the country on standby, ready to respond.

Civil Defence authorities across New Zealand are warning people to be prepared for the worsening conditions in coming days.

Latest radar imagery shows bands of rain over the Coromandel Peninsula, Nelson and Buller, associated with the low over the Tasman Sea. ^AB pic.twitter.com/AyuVa0fSMQ

— MetService (@MetService) April 11, 2017

Now there are fresh concerns Cook may make landfall closer to Auckland and the Coromandel sending even more rain over the flood-hit Bay of Plenty.

Researchers from the University of Waikato and University of Bremen have spent five years investigating the relationship between landslides and sensitive soils in the Bay of Plenty town.

On Tuesday they said they had found an unusually-shaped type of clay mineral called halloysite that makes the soil more "sensitive".

The news comes during a month in which landslides have damaged buildings and sections belonging to at least five Omokoroa families, with warnings that more slips could follow heavy rain this week.

Weatherwatch.co.nz said international models placed the cyclone making landfall somewhere around Tauranga or Coromandel potentially putting far more people at risk of severe weather.

This week's weather:

• Whangarei: Showers with heavy falls and thunderstorms, the wet weather continuing into Friday and Saturday.

• Auckland: Heavy falls and thunderstorms, with periods of rain on Thursday. A few showers with northeasterlies on Friday and into the weekend.

• Wellington: Occasional rain, chance heavy afternoon. Occasional rain for Thursday, and showers for Friday and Saturday.

• Christchurch: Periods of light rain with a possibility of heavy falls clearing in the afternoon. Thursday is looking cloudy with light rain falls. Friday is forecast for drizzle with showers on Saturday.

• Dunedin: Today has the potential for some heavy falls, there's brisk, gusty easterlies. Rain eases on Thursday and Friday, with showers on Saturday.