'Rinse and repeat': Hawke's Bay set to get persistent rain every day this week

Strong south-easterly winds will begin to ease by Thursday, but there won't be much sun. Photo / NZME

Hawke's Bay is in for a week of persistent showers and rain with strong winds affecting the very northern part of the region.

MetService Meteorologist Tom Adams said often in New Zealand the weather is worse in the west and the East Coast is often "a bit easier", but this coming week things will be reversed.

"Often I say to you there's heaps of bad weather but it won't get you in the Hawke's Bay - well not this time."

A low-pressure system sitting off the North East of the country which has "deepened quite rapidly and is quite an intense system" means winds circling around the system are bringing strong winds, swells and bands of rain to parts of the North Island.

Hawke's Bay between Opotiki and the Napier-Taihape Rd is under a strong wind watch from Monday morning and there is rain, so Adams advises keeping an eye on any watches/warnings this week and taking a rain check on any tramping in the ranges.

For the city areas there are strong southeasterlies at the start of the week, it will be cloudy and there will be scattered rain for most of the week.

"It's kind of rinse and repeat unfortunately.

"It's not going to be particularly heavy rain at any point for you guys it's just on and off kind of annoying, drizzly rain."

Excluding the ranges where it is heavier, there will be up to 10-15mm of rain most days up until Saturday, Adams said.

But the rain will be good for the dry conditions as it will be persistent, so it will have time to soak in.

"Often when it's dry what you don't want is all your rain to come in one big hit because the ground is dry and it just runs straight off.

"To be honest it's kind of what you want - it's just going to be a grey and miserable week, that's all."

Strong south-easterly winds will begin to ease by Thursday, but there won't be much sun.

While Saturday may be a day of rain for much of the country, it could be the day Hawke's Bay sees some fine weather.

Swells in the northern parts of the region such as Mahia could get to four or five metres from Monday, but there won't be good surfing conditions due to the strong wind, Adams said.

Temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-teens for the week in Napier, Hastings and Wairoa and in the low teens for Waipukurau.