Stormy weather to continue in Auckland as clear skies blanket the south of the country

Auckland and the upper North Island are expected to be hit by further bursts of heavy storms and rain over the weekend after much of the country was earlier lashed by wild weather.

The MetService recorded 14,200 lightning strikes splitting the skies above New Zealand yesterday,while a flooded Waipaoa River closed State Highway 2, near Gisborne on the East Coast.

Further intermittent storms and heavy rain is expected to again hit the Super City today as the thermometer climbs to a humid top of 24C.

But the heavy falls should ease by the evening, replaced by a few showers tomorrow and a high of 25C, the MetService said.

Northland, Coromandel and parts of the Waikato face possible heavy rain and thunder tomorrow, with Hamilton expecting a top of 24C today and a sunny 26C tomorrow.

Tauranga can expect a few showers today with a top of 23C, before a sunny and clear high 24C tomorrow, while Wellington can expect a fine weekend with a top of 21C today.

The capital yesterday escaped the heavy falls that battered most of the North Island.

The MetService issued a severe thunderstorm watch for almost the entire North Island as it urged motorists to take care due to the possibility of heavy rain and thunderstorms hitting anywhere from Auckland to Wellington.

It said the storms could become severe and continue through to 9pm - dumping hail, heavy rain and generating wind gusts up to 80km/h.

"Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys and may also lead to slips," the forecaster said.

This would make driving conditions hazardous and possibly generate hail big enough to damage crops, cars and glasshouses.

Storms also hit a stretch of the South Island's West Coast, affecting the Marlborough, Nelson, Buller and Westland districts.

However, these are expected to clear today with sunny skies tipped to stretch across most of the South Island.

Residents in Christchurch, Dunedin and Invercargill can all expect fine weather in the low 20Cs, while Queenstown is expected to soar to a top of 26C.

The thundery conditions affecting much of the country come despite forecasters saying earlier this week that Cyclone Owen, which had been thrashing the northeast of Australia, was unlikely to impact our weather.

MetService forecaster Cameron Coutts told the Herald the cyclone would track down Queensland and weaken without impacting our shores.