Severe weather warning for wet weekend

WET WEATHER: The sky was brooding last night as Robin Xiao (left) and Melody Jiang from China took an evening stroll through the new Marine Parade Reef Garden. Photo/Duncan Brown

A severe weather watch is in place for the region this weekend as warning amounts of rainfall are predicted for northern Hawke's Bay.

MetService meteorologist Claire Flynn said the watch ran for an 18 hour period from 6pm Saturday to 12pm Sunday and would affect Hawke's Bay north of Napier and Gisborne.

"Rainfall accumulations could approach warning amounts of 90mm in that 18 hour period so we are expecting it to be quite a rainy weekend."

Ms Flynn said it was expected the rain would first set in on Saturday morning followed by heavier rain in the evening.

"Then on Sunday there will be heavier rain in the morning and that will ease of to a few showers so a wet weekend for sure."

A low lying west of the upper North Island was expected to move slowly east throughout Friday and Saturday, and an associated rain-band was expected to move southwards across the North Island during Saturday and into early Sunday morning.

Warning amounts of rain were possible Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty west of Te Puke on Saturday before the rain headed for Gisborne and Hawke's Bay north of Napier from Saturday evening until Sunday morning.

Ms Flynn said temperatures throughout the weekend would sit below the average maximum temperature for September of 16.6C..

"The maximum temperatures on Saturday is 12C and Sunday 13C for Napier . . . so several degrees below average," she said.

Wind levels were expected to be moderate but, due to the southerly direction they were approaching from, they would be cooling temperatures right down, she said.

The MetService weather forecast was looking much brighter for the start of next week with fine spells on Monday, southerlies easing and the chance of an early shower.

Tuesday was forecast to be fine with high cloud and northwesterlies developing and a high of 19 degrees.

Locals were advised to keep up to date with forecasts in case parts or all of the watch in place were upgraded to a warning.