File photo. Photo: Unsplash / Daoudi Aissa
Parts of Taranaki, Waikato and Auckland could be hit by squally thunderstorms tonight as a low moves in from the Tasman Sea.
MetService says there is a high risk of squally thunderstorms tonight for Taranaki, Waitomo, western Waikato and about the Manukau Heads.
"These thunderstorms may bring localised heavy rain with intensities of 10 to 20 mm per hour and hail of 5 to 15 mm diameter. Strong wind gusts of 90 to 110 km/h are possible and there is a low risk that some of these thunderstorms will be severe with wind gusts above 110 km/h and a chance of small tornadoes, especially near the coast."
There is a moderate risk of storms for the rest of Auckland, southern Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula, eastern Waikato and Bay of Plenty east to Whakatane.
MetService meteorologist Sarah Haddon says it should be a short, sharp bout of stormy weather.
"Even though they are shorter and sharper, with any thunderstorm activity we can see very heavy falls, and we can see ... those gusts, we can see hail, and in that very convective area from Waikato down to Taranaki, there is a small possibility that we may see some tornadoes," she said.
Haddon said storm activity was expected to ease significantly by Monday morning.
"We do still expect some showers but also... decent amount of sunshine around between the showers, it's more of that bubbly nature, so there's breaks in between it."
In a Facebook post, Auckland Emergency Management said that while the system is expected to move through quickly, it could bring isolated downpours that may cause surface flooding.
"It is difficult to pinpoint exactly which areas might be affected, so it is important for everyone to keep an eye on latest weather updates from MetService New Zealand and make sensible decisions."
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