Severe thunderstorm warnings lifted, heavy rain still likely

Author: Imogene Bedford,
Publish Date: Fri, 14 Aug 2026, 7:31am

MetService issued a series of severe thunderstorm warnings early this morning for Northland, while heavy rain warnings and watches are in place further south. Image / MetService

MetService has lifted its severe thunderstorm warning for Northland.

Far North and Whangārei residents were being urged to take shelter early this morning as thunderstorms were likely to bring torrential rain.

The warning was lifted just before 7am as rain intensities had eased, the forecaster said.

“Some heavy rain is still expected but the threat of torrential rain has passed.”

Locals were earlier being warned of possible surface or flash flooding around streams, gullies and urban areas and “extremely hazardous” driving conditions.

Conditions could still be dangerous after the storm had passed, according to National Emergency Management Agency advice shared by MetService.

“During and after the storm you should also beware of fallen trees and power lines [and] avoid streams and drains as you may be swept away in flash flooding,” that advice says.

Heavy rain warnings, watches for eastern areas

Parts of the North Island are forecast to be battered by heavy rain this weekend, as a front sweeps up the country, bringing colder temperatures and a risk of frosts.

MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakker told the Herald the weekend’s weather would grow increasingly unsettled before easing off into early next week.

“It’s going to get quite wet on the east coast of the North Island.”

Several heavy rain warnings and watches will be in place throughout today for eastern parts of the country, with more potentially on the way.

“That’s more in the kind of we might need to put a watch out territory rather than lots of exciting stuff happening, everybody prepare now.”

The Bay of Plenty about and east of Kawerau is under watch until 9am, while Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay is under a heavy rain warning until 8pm.

“We had a trough over most of the country yesterday, a low approaching the upper North Island from the Tasman Sea. All of that’s going to be moving eastwards today.”

Another front will build in the south later today and shift upwards across the country over the course of the weekend.

Temperatures are expected to be above average today but will begin to drop as strong southerlies move in on Sunday and Monday.

“It looks like there is going to be a bit of a frost risk for a lot of the country,” Bakker said.

The incoming cold weather is not expected to match the intensity of the recent cold snap.

Auckland will fall from 16 C on Saturday to 13 C on Monday, with the frost risk beginning in the South Island before “gradually” moving northwards.

“There’s better news further off on the horizon”, Bakker said.

“It’s looking like we’ll be looking reasonably ridgy next week, so that’s more of those clearer skies, colder days kind of thing, but we’ve got a bunch of wet weather to get through first.”