Parts of New Zealand will have another day of wild weather with rain, thunderstorms and hail to lash northern and central areas of the North Island on Thursday.
MetService has issued a heavy rain watch for the Bay of Plenty east of Whakātane, Horowhenua to Wellington and the Tararua Range.
The forecaster said periods of heavy rain may approach warning criteria, with thunderstorms possible throughout the day.
"There is a moderate risk of thunderstorms associated with these fronts over the upper North Island from Taranaki, the central high country and Bay of Plenty northwards," it said.
"These thunderstorms will bring a short period of localised heavy rain and strong wind gusts up to 90km/h. There is also a low risk of one or two small tornadoes, mainly near the coast."
Lower parts of the North Island won't escape the bad weather with MetService warning Taranaki down to Wellington is expected to see thunderstorms, which could bring hail on Thursday evening.
"Unstable westerlies spread into the area from early evening, bringing a further moderate risk of thunderstorms to Taranaki, also coastal Whanganui, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Kapiti Coast and northern Wellington. Brief heavy rain and small hail can be expected with these thunderstorms," MetService said.
The warnings come after an active front moved over the North Island earlier on Thursday morning. The west coast of the North Island experienced a wild morning of weather with 1200 lighting strikes recorded between 4 and 6am, while Inglewood in Taranaki saw 32.5mm of rain in a single hour.
The South Island is in for a reprieve from the wild weather which saw many areas flooded and locals evacuated after heavy rain earlier this week.
Christchurch will have a cloudy day with occasional light rain on Thursday afternoon, while Dunedin will have similar weather but will see constant drizzle.
