Weather: Wet and windy start to week for Hawke's Bay

Wet and windy weather is set to strike Hawke's Bay. Photo / File

A big southerly change is bringing plenty of cold, wet wind and rain to start Hawke's Bay's week.

A heavy rain warning has been issued from 10pm on Sunday and throughout Monday for the region north of Napier up to Muriwai.

The predicted 120mm-160mm of accumulated rainfall, mainly about the ranges, could cause surface flooding and slips and make for hazardous driving conditions.

From late Monday morning to Monday evening, the heaviest falls of 20mm-25mm per hour are likely.

MetService meteorologist Tahlia Crabtree said the wider region could expect plenty of rain and strong southerly winds all through Monday and most of Tuesday.

"During Wednesday we'll start to see that rain easing away and in that time as well the wind will drop off," she said.

She said the southerlies would probably ease off a little on Tuesday, but return and bring lots of clouds and rain.

"It'll gradually get less but it will be more persistent," Crabtree said.

Hawke's Bay also received some rainfall on Saturday night as part of the low-pressure system currently moving across the country.

Crabtree said that was just a taste of what is coming over the next few days.

"That was the warm, lighter rain, ahead of the cold, awful change that is on the way."

And with a moderate-to-strong La Nina event is now well underway in the tropical Pacific Ocean, similar swings can be expected as summer approaches.

Crabtree said La Nina broadly tended to mean more rainy low systems that move over the upper North Island, and that could bring lot of rain for Hawke's Bay.

"If that climate remains consistent over the course of the summer, we could actually see rain events like this throughout summer."

MetService's outlook for the rest of the month points to higher temperatures than average and muggy conditions for November across the North Island.