More than 2500 lightning strikes have struck both inland and offshore as MetService issued severe thunderstorm watches for much of the North Island.
MetService meteorologist Angus Hines said since midday 2597 lightning strikes have been recorded, mostly about the lower parts of the North Island, like the Wairarapa and inland areas of Manawatu.
There have also been isolated strikes in other parts of the country such as the Waikato, Marlborough, inland Canterbury and inland Southland.
⛅🌦🌧 Feeling wet in Auckland? Here's a loop of the showers passing through Auckland!
There are severe thunderstorm watches in place for Waikato, Waitomo, Taumarunui, Taupo, Hawkes Bay, Taihape, Wanganui, Manawatu, Tararua, Wairarapa, from 1pm today until 7pm.
MetService warns that these storms may become “severe” in the early evening, producing localised downpours with intensities of 25 to 40 mm per hour.
“Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips,” MetService advised.
“Driving conditions will also be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain.”
The severe weather is caused by a low-pressure system slowly moving over the Tasman Sea which is dragging warm air and moisture over the country, which is ripe for showers, said MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes.
“Exacerbating the situation, it’s late in the year which means the sun is high in the sky, sea breezes are strong and that adds to the ingredients for thunderstorms,” McInnes said.
“So don’t be surprised if you see some flashes in the sky and hear some booming from above.”
Keeping in theme with the mix of extremes we have had over the last week, with scorching temperatures down south and thunderstorms in the North, Mcinnes said “if you’re not getting wet, expect to see some sun”.
“Given the weather scenario at hand, expect the wet weather to be localised - that means while one town might get an afternoon drenching, the next town down the road could stay completely dry,” Mcinnes said.
As the evening progresses, Hines said the heavy downpours and thunder is likely to rumble into tomorrow, with Northland getting the worst of it.
“The most intense rain tomorrow will begin in Northland, but it will move southward as the day progresses,” Hines said.
“So it’s looking to be basically across the entire North Island by the end of the day, and then moving on to the north and east of the South Island in the weekend.”
More than 2500 lightning strikes have struck both inland and offshore across the country. Photo / NZME
