A severe weather warning has been issued from most of the Bay of Plenty as the remains of Tropical Cyclone Cook loom.
Metservice this morning issued an urgent weather warning, predicting rainfall which could accumulate 200mm to 250mm over the Bay and Taupo area in the 48 hours from midday tomorrow with possible thunderstorms.
The heavy rain is expected for many parts of New Zealand as a low moving southeast over the Tasman Sea is expected to become slow-moving later today. Its associated front is expected to bring periods of heavy rain to the north and west of the South Island and also Otago later today and early tomorrow then spread to the North Island later Wednesday. The rain over parts of the North Island is expected to continue into Thursday and possibly Friday.
The warning has also been issued for Westland, Buller, Nelson, Marlborough, North Otago, Dunedin, Clutha, Bay Of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupo, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, and the Coromandel Peninsula.
The remains of Tropical Cyclone Cook are likely to cross from about Bay of Plenty to Hawkes Bay Thursday night or Friday with further heavy rain, large swells and an area of damaging severe gales. The precise track of the low centre is uncertain at this stage and more details will be added in the following days.
