The North Island is tipped to be struck by miserable conditions today, with thunderstorms, hail and heavy downpours possible as an unstable, humid northerly flow covers the island.

MetService meteorologist Clare O’Connor said rain is bound for most of the country today – but the central North Island will be hit the hardest.

“The highest risk is in the central North Island, with that we’re expecting 80-100km/h gusts, heavy downpours and also a chance of 25-30mm per hour rain, which is very disruptive,” she said.

She said there’s a chance of thunderstorms in Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Northland also.

“With thunderstorms, there also comes a chance of hail, so watch out for that if you’re driving, make sure your windscreen wipers are up to scratch,” O’Connor said.

For any holidaymakers driving through the North Island, O’Connor is urging motorists to drive “extremely carefully” especially if they are unfamiliar with the area.

O’Connor said there is a lower risk of thunderstorms at the top of the South Island in Nelson and Buller but those areas are likely to receive heavy rain.

Orange heavy rain warning for Bay of Plenty

An orange heavy rain warning came into effect for Bay of Plenty at 3am today, which is set to lapse at 9pm. MetService warned 80-120mm of rain was expected in periods of heavy rain and thunderstorms.

The forecaster said peak rainfall amounts of 25 to 40mm per hour were possible in localised downpours and there was a minimal chance the warning would be upgraded to red.

“Streams and rivers may rise rapidly. Surface flooding, slips, and difficult driving conditions [may be] possible.”

Bay of Plenty Civil Defence took to social media yesterday to urge residents and visitors to “please take care, especially when travelling around the region”.

Christmas forecast

O’Connor said while Saturday is a “pretty rough day”, the good news is there will be an improvement over the whole country in the lead-up to Christmas.

She said the best weather ahead of Christmas Day looked to be the two days preceding the holiday, with sunny blue skies and dry days set for most parts of the country on Monday and Tuesday.

“Santa has been advised to pack his wet weather suit for the big journey south, with the outlook indicating a wet Christmas Day for the west of the South Island and potentially the western North Island.”

-NZ Herald