Weather: Dry period in Hawke’s Bay set to break, heavy rain watch for Wairoa

• MetService has issued a heavy rain watch for the Wairoa district from 1am Tuesday to 1am Wednesday.
• Meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane says heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds are possible in Hawke’s Bay.
• A cloudy and wet week is expected after a prolonged period of dry conditions.

MetService has put the Wairoa district under a heavy rain watch as much-needed downpours in Hawke’s Bay come with a risk of thunderstorms and hail.

The watch was issued on Monday morning and is in place for 24 hours from 1am Tuesday, with a moderate chance of upgrading to a warning.

MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said the frontal system was working its way up the South Island and was expected to make landfall over the North Island later on Monday afternoon.

It would bring most of the rain to the region after a prolonged period of dry, she said.

“By this evening and into that overnight period we’re expecting that rain to start affecting Hawke’s Bay and into the Wairoa district as well,” she said.

“It is going to be coming on with the southerly, south-easterly winds so directly onshore - just feeding moisture and all of that rain to the Wairoa district.”

Makgabutlane said to expect “a relatively cloudy and wet week ahead” in Hawke’s Bay with cumulations in some places expected to “start to tick up”.

“It looks like that Hawke’s Bay region might be receiving a bit more rain than other parts of the country [this week]. That onshore flow ... looks to stick around into Wednesday as well ... and that continues into Thursday.”

Hawke’s Bay could expect to reach up to 30C ahead of the rain on Monday.

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, along with pieces on art, music, and culture.