More severe weather is in the forecast for the North Island and Auckland may be getting a month’s worth of rain or more in the coming days.
Auckland remains under a heavy rain watch and is currently in a State of Emergency following unprecedented rainfall in the last two days that has caused landslips, floods and massive damage across the region.
MetService meteorologist Luis Fernandes says more wet weather can be expected for much of the North Island with the northern parts again seeing the most rain.
“Heavy rain affected parts of Bay of Plenty and Coromandel overnight and there will be more rain today, in particular for Coromandel,” Fernandes said.
A Heavy Rain Warning remains in effect for the Coromandel Peninsula until 6pm today as heavy showers and possible thunderstorms continue to pass over the area.
“Auckland is currently under a Heavy Rain Watch for today, as we expect the band showers currently affecting Coromandel, to drift toward Auckland by afternoon,” he said.
“As these areas of enhanced rainfall move westward, it will then affect Northland and a Heavy Rain Warning has been issued for the region, starting from mid-afternoon today.”
Fernandes said thunderstorms are possible for these areas and they could produce bursts of heavy rain on a more localised level.
“We will be monitoring our radar imagery closely and if any threatening thunderstorms develop, warnings will be issued for any areas that are likely to be affected. The public are urged to keep up to date with the latest warnings on our website and mobile app,” he said.
WeatherWatch head forecaster Philip Duncan said the wind and rain that moved southwards over the North Island is sliding back north again.
This is expected to linger until at least the middle to later part of the coming week before sliding back southwards.
On Sunday, the rain band will move again into the Coromandel Peninsula and then to Auckland and Northland, spreading wet weather over a number of places with isolated thunderstorms.
Duncan said it also meant Auckland and other northern areas can expect more heavy rain and more gales.
This morning a slow-moving band of heavy rain and thunderstorms has been affecting the Coromandel Peninsula and Kaimai Ranges, and as of 7am it was lying inland around Tauranga, Duncan said.
He said there will be more instability in the weather today and tomorrow, which will likely result in more areas of thunderstorms which could produce locally heavier rain and go beyond the forecast rainfall.
“Between slow-moving thunderstorms and the general rain forecast, Auckland City may still receive a further 80 to 120mm in the coming days, this is a month’s worth of rain or more, still to move in this week,” Duncan said.
“The wettest and windiest day looks to be later on Tuesday which may be stormy for some in Auckland and Northland.”
He warned that gale-force winds, with gusts of over 100km/h in exposed places on Tuesday, could bring damaging gusts and power outages to the Auckland region.
Duncan said the windy and wet weather will dominate the upper North Island, not just Auckland. More downpours and thunderstorms can be expected today and tomorrow.
Drier and more settled weather returns to Auckland and the rest of the North Island by the end of the week.
MetService has placed a rain watch for more rain until midnight Sunday in Auckland.
It is warning of further rainfall but nothing that is likely to match the severity of the torrential rain in the last two days.
“The main rain band has moved off to the east of Auckland for the time being and there are a number of Orange warnings and watches in place around the North Island,” MetService meteorologist Angus Hines said.
“The main rain band returns to Auckland and Northland later today (Sunday) but rain will come and go for many areas in the North Island.”
Hines warned that impacts will be severe and wide-reaching even though the rain is not expected to be as severe as it has been.
He said more flooding will occur through many northern regions in the coming days and urged people to stay updated on the latest information from local emergency management, Civil Defence and metservice.com
Much of the South Island is dry today, except at the top with wet weather developing in Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough regions.