An image shows the band of thunder and rain approaching Auckland from the north. Photo: Supplied / MetService
Heavy rain is bearing down on the upper North Island, bringing with it thunderstorms and the threat of surface flooding.
Northland, Auckland and Great Barrier Island are subject to a severe thunderstorm watch until midday and there are orange heavy rain warnings in place for Bay of Plenty and Rotorua and, in the South Island, for Tasman northwest of Motueka.
Heavy rain watches are also in effect for Northland and Auckland including Great Barrier Island and Coromandel Peninsula (until 1pm), Mt Taranaki (until 8pm), Taupō (until 9pm), Gisborne north of Tokomaru Bay (until midnight), and Tasman about and southeast of Motueka and Marlborough northwest of the Wairau River (until 11pm).
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane told Morning Report there had been heavy rain in Northland, Auckland and Tasman overnight. Some parts of Auckland had received as much as 25mm in an hour.
The downpours were set to continue throughout the day, with Bay of Plenty and Tasman expected to be hardest-hit, she said.
"This weather system is going to be quite persistent and then it is looking like quite a wet day today."
Regional council rainfall data showed the wettest places in Northland were around Whangārei, with Puhipuhi, north of the city, recording 54mm and Marsden Point 51mm in the past 24 hours.
Ngapipito, west of Moerewa, received 49mm of rain during the same period.
Civil Defence in Northland said there had been no reports of serious flooding or road closures in the region overnight, despite the heavy rain and thunderstorms.
A power outage which affected more than 300 households in Fairburn and Victoria Valley, east of Kaitāia, was resolved just after 8am today.
Bay of Plenty Civil Defence said in a Facebook post that no significant issues had yet been reported in the region but that could change as water accumulated throughout the day.