“We’ve been pretty firm in telling people to get out to vote before tomorrow - it would save them from standing in the wind or rain. If you have the chance to go and do it this afternoon, do.
“Hold on to those Easy Vote cards. But if you lose them to the wind, remember you can still vote,” he said.
All main centres will have showers, at the least. In Auckland showers will turn to rain in the evening with a partly cloudy start to the day.
MetService forecasts a high of 20C for Auckland and Ferris said it would be “a bit of a breeze” with fresh northwesterlies predicted.
“[The wind will be] nothing too noticeable [in Auckland]. It’s also looking like not a sizeable amount of rain there and it looks to be clearing pretty quickly,” Ferris said.
The national forecaster has issued strong wind warnings in Wellington, Wairarapa, Marlborough, the Canterbury high country and plains, Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.
Gales there, especially in exposed places, could reach up to 140km/h and could down powerlines, trees and lift unsecured structures. MetService said drivers of high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists, especially, should be wary.
MetService issued a heavy rain warning for Westland south of Otira on the West Coast, where up to 150mm of rain was forecast over 13 hours until 2pm.
MetService said the amount of rainfall there could see streams and rivers rise rapidly along with flooding and slips.
Strong wind watches will be in place in the Tararua District and Wairarapa between Woodville and Carteron, Tasman west of Motueka, the Buller and Grey Districts, Queenstown Lakes, Central and North Otago, Dunedin, Clutha and Fiordland throughout the day.
A heavy rain watch will also be in place in Fiordland where rainfall rates could reach MetService’s warning criteria.
The aforementioned warnings and watches begin at 9pm Friday at the earliest and should all lapse by 9pm Saturday at the latest.
In the other main centres, MetService has forecast a 16C day with a few showers turning to rain in the late morning in Wellington, also at risk of 120km/h gusts in exposed places.
Christchurch has a forecast high of 20C with patchy rain clearing in the afternoon and 130km/h gusts in exposed places.
In Dunedin showers will develop through the morning with gusts of up to 90km/h easing in the afternoon and a high of 18C.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
