Better news on the weather front for Ed Sheeran and cricket fans

Rain clouds hover with intent during day three of the first test between New Zealand and England at Eden Park.

Ed Sheeran fans can look forward to better weather tonight after those who went last night had to brave adverse conditions at the English musician's first Auckland concert.

Wet weather is expected to continue in some parts of the country, but is expected to tail off.

MetService forecasters say a front moving eastwards over the North Island on Sunday morning will bring rain and heavy showers, with conditions "likely to be particularly unstable" about Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty.

MetService has this morning put out a severe thunderstorm watch warning thunderstorms embedded in a rain band are expected to affect the Bay of Plenty
east of about Whakatane.

"There is a moderate risk of thunderstorms embedded within broader areas of rain about central and eastern areas from Auckland and Great Barrier Island down to the central high country."

The front will continue to move east and weaken.

There is a moderate risk of thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening for Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, the far east of Taupo and the ranges of northern Hawkes Bay and western Gisborne.

These could be accompanied by localised heavy rain of 10-25mm per hour, and low risk of 25 to 40mm per hour in the east of Bay of Plenty.

After the weather led to a washout of most of the day-night cricket test between England and New Zealand at Eden Park yesterday, fans will today enjoy a mostly dry day.

The forecast temperature for Auckland is 23C on Sunday.

However, MetService forecaster Brian Mercer is advising cricket fans to still take their raincoats along.

In Waikato, Hamilton's anticipated Nightglow Balloons Over Waikato event will take place this evening after stormy weather postponed the Saturday night event.

This is only the second time in 18 years of Nightglow that the event at the University of Waikato had to be pushed to a Sunday because of bad weather.

WeatherWatch forecaster Philip Duncan said downpours will fade away as a north to northwest flow arrives, and the narrow front cross the North Island.

"A few isolated heavy downpours may also flare up behind the front in Northland, Waikato, Hawke's Bay," he said.

"Elsewhere it's mainly dry with a mix of sun and cloud and maybe an isolated normal shower. Winds are light and are mainly from the northerly quarter."

Forecast highs across the country are between 18C and 25C.

The north to northwest airstream should spread over the South Island on Monday while the ridge over the North Island moves slowly east.