Weather: Bay of Plenty under heavy rain warning, possible thunderstorms

A heavy rain warning is in place for the Bay of Plenty region through to Saturday morning.

MetService issued the orange warning for Bay of Plenty east of Maketu, including Rotorua, until 6am Saturday.

The agency said the area could expect 100 to 140mm of rain, mainly about the ranges with downpours possible.

A severe thunderstorm watch is also in place from 5pm to 11pm Friday.

“An active trough is expected to bring a period of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms to Bay of Plenty this late afternoon and this evening.

“There is a moderate risk of localised downpours of 25 to 40 mm/h with this trough.”

 

“Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips,” the MetService said.

“Driving conditions will also be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain.”

A heavy rain watch remains in place for areas west of Maketu and Coromandel until 10pm Friday.

Things set to clear for Mother’s Day weekend

Despite the unsettled end to the week, conditions are forecast to improve over the weekend with fine and mild weather expected across most of the country.

MetService forecaster Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said this bad weather is “looking fairly relatively short-lived, so by Saturday morning all this weather looks like it’s cleared off the country and the weekend is looking pretty good”.

MetService said Mother’s Day was shaping up to be settled and sunny for most, though some regions may experience morning cloud or fog.