MetService Severe Weather Warning: 23-24th September 2025.
Video / MetService
The northern North Island is in the firing line of more heavy rain and thunderstorms today after a damp start to the school holidays across the country.
A slow-moving front over central New Zealand is forecast to move eastwards today, while another front is expected to move northwards over thelower South Island tonight.
MetService meteorologist Dom Barry told the Herald a complex trough affecting the North Island is bringing a large amount of rain for Northland all the way down to Bay of Plenty and Waikato.
A number of weather watches have been issued and many may be upgraded to warnings, Barry said.
“For areas north of Otago and Southland and southern Westland, mainly fine for eastern coast areas, Canterbury, Canterbury High Country, Marlborough-Nelson area, not looking too bad,” Barry said.
“There’s just a bit of rain about Buller in the morning, which turns to showers in the afternoon.”
A number of regions were likely to have also experienced muggy temperatures overnight.
“We’ve got some areas, the likes of Taupō, Rotorua, looking at temperatures that are six-ish degrees above average overnight,” Barry said.
Those areas were looking at overnight temperatures of 12-14C, he said.
Weather watches and warnings
A heavy rain watch is in place for Northland until 10am today.
Aotea Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula are under the same watch until 8pm tonight.
Auckland is also under a heavy rain watch until 11am and Waikato until 1pm.
Bay of Plenty and the headwaters of the Otago lakes and rivers are under the same watch until 3am on Thursday.
This comes after a week of heavy rain across the country. Wellington, Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt all recorded their second-wettest days of this year so far on Monday.
