The low-pressure system will be accompanied by strong winds, and on Thursday, there is a moderate risk of severe northeast gales in certain areas of Northland, where a watch is in effect, Auckland, Coromandel, Waikato and Waitomo.
On Friday and into Saturday, the gales will tend west-northwest, affecting much of the upper North Island from Taranaki to Hawke’s Bay northward.
Rain is also forecast about Tasman and western parts of Marlborough, northwest of the Wairau River, on Friday and Saturday, with a low risk about northern Taranaki and the King Country.
As the low-pressure system approaches, the wet and windy weather will quickly spread across the North Island into Friday morning, with the chance of severe rain and gales in some places of the upper North Island. Taranaki’s northward coast is also predicted to get strong swells that could reach 6 metres.
“This low is moving quicker than the previous weather systems that brought heavy rain and flooding this year, most recently last week,” Fernandes said.
However, with already saturated ground, any further heavy rain could be problematic, and strong wind is an added complication.
At this stage, Fernandes said MetService is unclear just how much damage the fast-moving weather system will do.
“We used multiple weather forecasting models, and this far into the future they show many different options for how this weather plays out on Thursday and Friday,” Fernandes said.
A heavy rain warning is in place for Westland south of Harihari, which began at midday today. Metservice is forecasting 90 to 130 mm of rain about the ranges, with lesser amounts nearer the coast and peak rates of 15 to 25 mm/h about the ranges, especially in thunderstorms.
Metservice noted the rain is expected to spread south as the evening progresses.
