A massive low from the Tasman Sea that caused flash-flooding, tornadoes and slips will peter out on Thursday - but not before a final burst of wild weather.
The low, which has been weakening since making landfall in New Zealand on Tuesday, brought heavy downpours and strong winds to central parts of the country.
Waikato bore the brunt of the stormy conditions, with shops in the small town of Te Awamutu forced to close after they were flooded amidst a deluge of rain and reports of a destructive hailstorm and a tornado twisting its way down the main street.
On Thursday, the low will completely fall apart - but Weather Watch says Kiwis should still be wary of downpours, humid winds and isolated inland thunderstorms before it's gone for good.
"The centre of the low lies just off the west coast of Taranaki this morning and this afternoon it moves in over the lower North Island and completely unravels/falls apart," the forecaster says.
"While calmer weather will move in with the centre of this system, the lower air pressure contributes to instability in the atmosphere."
Weather Watch says this means more downpours and thunderstorms are likely to bubble up from Waikato southwards, with central and lower parts of the North Island most exposed.
Another 20-40mm of rain is possible across some parts of New Plymouth and Taranaki over the next 24 hours, head forecaster Philip Duncan says, with MetService issuing a heavy rain watch for Mt Taranaki.
Once the low peters out completely, MetService says a front is anticipated to move north over the country on Friday, bringing cool winds and showers.
There is also a risk of frost through inland parts of the lower South Island on Saturday morning, Weather Watch says - a sign of close to freezing temperatures overnight on Friday.
"We're seeing short bursts of cold air due to a much stormier Southern Ocean this spring," Duncan said.
"A colder southerly on Friday will be quickly followed by high pressure on Friday night/Saturday morning, allowing cold air to sink inland and temperatures to approach freezing for some."
Tekapo is set to plummet to as low as 0C on Friday night, with Balfour, Lumsden, Twizel and Queenstown a chilly 2C.
However a warm nor'wester from Australia moves across the country on Saturday, picking up temperatures markedly.
