Heavy rain watch for Wairoa, hail possible as thunderstorms head for Hawke’s Bay

• MetService has issued a heavy rain watch for the Wairoa district starting at 9pm on Tuesday.
• Thunderstorms could bring hail, ranging from 5 to 15mm in diameter.
• A cold front will follow, causing a temperature drop and prolonged rain in Wairoa.

MetService placed the Wairoa district under a heavy rain watch for Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning and said thunderstorms could also bring hail to other parts of Hawke’s Bay.

The heavy rain watch was in place for 12 hours from 9pm tonight, with a moderate chance of it being upgraded to a warning.

Thunderstorms over the top of the South Island were set to spread to the North Island this afternoon, bringing wet weather, according to MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris.

“With these thunderstorms is the potential for hail,” Ferris said.

“You could see hail around that 5-to-15mm diameter.”

Immediately following the thunderstorms, a cold front would move up Hawke’s Bay. Ferris said this would bring a drop in temperature with prolonged rain in Wairoa.

“Because behind the front is a southerly wind, that’s going to bring that cold but it is also the right direction to see the Wairoa district tick up amounts of rainfall,” he said.

“First taste of autumn for the year.”

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region.