Heavy rain is expected to batter New Zealand this week, with a heavy rain watch in place for parts of the North Island and thunderstorms expected in the South.
After a dry weekend for most of the country, MetService has forecast wet weather, especially in northern and eastern parts of the North Island.
A front is spreading rain over many places on Monday and is expected to linger over the North Island this week bringing bursts of heavy rain.
The heaviest falls in the first half of the week are likely to be in Northland and eastern Bay of Plenty where Heavy Rain Watches have been issued.
MetService has issued a heavy rain watch for Mount Taranaki for Monday, Northland for Monday to Tuesday and Bay of Plenty east of Kawerau from Monday to Wednesday noon.
"Bursts of heavy rain are also likely in the upper North Island outside of the current Watch areas, so it is important to stay up to date with the latest forecasts from MetService," MetService Meteorologist Stephen Glassey said.
A low-pressure system develops over the North Island on Thursday and Friday, bringing another bout of rain.
"There is always a bit of uncertainty when lows develop over New Zealand regarding the exact distribution of rain, but it looks likely that the heaviest rain later in the week will be in the east of the North Island, whereas in the first half of the week, the heaviest falls are likely in the top half of the island. So, the big picture is that there should be periods of rain in most places in the North Island," Glassey said.
There will also be rain or showers for parts of the South Island and possibly a few thunderstorms as well, although the outlook is looking better for South Islanders later in the week.
Most South Islanders can expect a more settled run of weather after Wednesday, especially the West Coast where it is looking particularly sunny, MetService said.
La Niña is back
Wet and moist conditions in northeastern areas of the North Island tend to be common during La Niña events.
WeatherWatch said a historical triple dip La Niña is officially back, but for many, the weather patterns may not differ from where they have been since mid-winter.
International modelling suggests La Niña is likely to peak in Spring, in November to be exact, be fading back to "neutral" by early 2023.
"A slightly increased chance of northern rainmakers and easterlies this spring - but still powerful high-pressure zones keeping some areas drier than usual," WeatherWatch said.
WeatherWatch said overall this La Niña is not looking especially powerful.
