Rain Set To Hammer The Country

Aucklanders will need their raincoats and umbrellas in the mid-afternoon when scatterings of rain would turn heavy.

MetService meteorologist John Law said the heavy falls would arrive in the city between 2pm and 4pm today.

"The afternoon will see some of heavier falls ... you'll be needing an umbrella, but it will also be quite blustery," Mr Law said.

The rain would clear in Auckland overnight, Mr Law said.

The front bringing rain to Auckland would cross the country today and tomorrow and MetService has issued a severe weather warning for parts of the country where the rain would be heaviest.

Western Bay of Plenty, Westland and the northwest Nelson ranges would experience the heaviest of the rain.

Westland could expect 200mm of rain in the ranges, 150mm about the northwest Nelson (Kahurangi) ranges, and 70-100mm about western Bay of Plenty and Rotorua.

MetService warned streams and rivers could rise rapidly in these areas, slips and surface flooding could also be possible.

Canterbury lakes and rivers had the possibility of rising due to heavy rain before the rain moved away this afternoon.

MetService issued a watch for heavy rain on the Coromandel Peninsula and remaining areas of Bay of Plenty from this afternoon to early tomorrow morning.

A thunderstorm or two across the east coast of Northland, Great Barrier Island and northern parts of Coromandel Peninsula was possible this afternoon.

If the thunderstorms arrived they would bring heavy rain with intensities of 10-20mm per hour, MetService said.

The chance of a thunderstorm for the rest of Northland, Auckland and Coromandel Peninsula was less likely.

Source- NZ Herald