Heavy rain expected in Hawke's Bay but no risk of flooding

While Hawke's Bay may experience 30mm to 40mm of rain on Tuesday, flooding is out of the question. Photo / Paul Taylor

Heavy rain is due to hit Hawke's Bay again this week.

As a low-pressure system rapidly forms and approaches from the Tasman Sea, some areas of the North Island can expect a month's worth of rain in a week.

MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris said while Bay of Plenty, south Waikato, Taranaki and Nelson may receive up to 120mm of rain, Hawke's Bay is not expected to be at risk of serious flooding from 30mm to 40mm expected across two days.

Ferris said the "heavy rain" will arrive in Hawke's Bay on Tuesday afternoon and continue into Wednesday, before easing up later in the week.

"The odd shower will linger through the rest of the week, but ultimately it will look a lot better from Wednesday onwards," he said.

"Based on previous data, around 30mm to 40mm could fall through Tuesday and Wednesday."

The imminent downpour comes two weeks after more than 237mm of rainfall was recorded in Napier in 24 hours – making it the city's second wettest day on record - leading to heavy flooding and landslides.

Last Wednesday, 8mm of rain fell during a thunderstorm, causing brief surface flooding.

Ferris said low-pressure systems tend to pass over Hawke's Bay quickly.

"While there will be periods of heavy rain, it doesn't look like there'll be a large enough accumulation for Hawke's Bay for flooding," he added.

Tuesday will see high cloud increasing in Napier and Hastings, with expected highs of 18C and 17C respectively.

Temperatures across Hawke's Bay will rise on Wednesday, despite some early rain, with highs of 23C expected in Napier and Hastings, reaching 24C in Wairoa.

While a few scattered showers are expected, temperatures remain steady on Thursday at 22C in Napier and Hastings, while Waipukurau and Wairoa are expected to reach 20C.

Overnight lows remain between 14C and 10C throughout the region this week.