Severe rain warning for Hawke's Bay

It'll be a wet Wednesday with a severe rain warning for Hawke's Bay. Photo/File

A severe weather warning has been issued with big rain expected to hit the region tomorrow.

Metservice meteorologist, Stephen Glassey, said most of Hawke's Bay would experience heavy rain, with 100-120mm expected in the ranges and coastal hills, and 60-80mm elsewhere.

"It's all of Hawke's Bay excluding the Wairoa District, so it's not as bad up in the north of Hawke's Bay."

Glassey said the rain was being caused by a complex low pressure system sitting over the lower North Island.

"We've got quite a complex low pressure system sort of lingering over the eastern North Island."

"It's going to drive a south, south-east wind into the Hawke's Bay area."

The warning is from 3am Wednesday to 1am Thursday, but the weather was not looking to clear in a hurry.

"The heaviest rain is likely to be Wednesday, but it's still likely to be raining on Thursday, Friday, and even possibly into Saturday as well."

With the rain comes cold weather as well, with temperatures only making it to the low teens.

"Predominantly the winds are going to be from the south, south east direction, and it'll feel a bit cold."

"We've got highs in the double digits but it the low double digits, so sort of around 12-13C."

Glassey said weather wise, Hawke's Bay was not the place to be this week.

"Eastern and southern parts of the North Island are copping the worst of the weather this week."

"The best place to be is probably in the west of the South Island."

"In a normal weather situation they normally cop the worst of the weather, but in this situation they are getting the best weather, and Hawke's Bay, who quite often get really good weather is getting the worst weather."