July going out with wet and wintry blast

Many brave souls jumped into the sea yesterday at the Pirates of the Caribbean-themed Winter Splash at Mission Bay in Auckland. Photo / Richard Robinson

The last days of July are expected to bring grim weather - heavy rain and powerful gusts - in many parts of the country.

Heavy rain and severe gale warnings are in place for Auckland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and the top of the South Island today.

The front is then expected to spread south, with Canterbury and Otago warned of heavy rain and strong winds for most of the week, said MetService.

The wild weather, which started yesterday, saw 100mm of rain fall in the Coromandel area in 24 hours and emergency services received several reports of trees falling as a result of high winds buffeting Auckland.

Up to 200 properties were without power last in the west Auckland suburb of Glen Eden, thought to have been caused by a tree falling on power lines.

South easterlies are forecast to rise to severe gusts in exposed parts of Fiordland this afternoon, reaching 130km/h, along with heavy rain.

Gusty easterlies bringing rain to Nelson should ease tonight.

Rain in the central North Island is likely to ease to showers in the evening as winds change northwest, said WeatherWatch.co.nz.

The wet weather would mean a slight drop in temperatures, to between 13 and 16 degrees for most parts of the north, it said.

Periods of rain are expected in Southland and Otago, with snow between 500 metres and 800 metres tonight, said WeatherWatch.co.nz.

Temperatures tomorrow were likely to be 9-11 degrees in Southland and up the east coast, with temperatures in the teens on the West Coast and in Nelson.

The strong winds are expected to ease tomorrow morning.

FORECAST

Today: Rain spreading east, with deluges and heavy winds in many parts of North Island. Heavy rain in eastern Otago, severe gusts in Fiordland.
Tomorrow: Heavy rain eases to showers in North Island. Rain from Southland to Canterbury and Marlborough.
Wednesday: North Island has rain in east and a few showers elsewhere. Heavy rain in Marlborough and Canterbury. Mainly fine elsewhere.
Thursday and Friday: Similar weather to Wednesday, with rain in east of North Island and in Marlborough and Canterbury.
Source: MetService