Storm

4:29pm --- WeatherWatch.co.nz says a band of heavy afternoon showers has formed over the Hunua and Bombay ranges and are heavy enough to cause localised flash and surface flooding as they drift into Auckland city.

WeatherWatch.co.nz predicted the showers yesterday.

A final burst of heavy rain in Nelson is now easing and WeatherWatch.co.nz says satellite imagery shows a definite clearance moving in over the next hour - and it's a similar story in Northland where the sun has started to shine in the Far North.

Philip Duncan from WeatherWatch.co.nz teams up with nzherald.co.nz to bring you the very latest on the rainstorm across NZ - what it means for Nelson and other areas for the next 24 hours.

A text version of what is discussed can be found here.

Steady rain has returned to water logged Nelson and rain is now covering much of the North Island as we head into Thursday afternoon reports WeatherWatch.co.nz. 

Latest satellite images confirm significant rain clouds remain to the north of Nelson and are being fed into the area by a northerly flow.

More than 100 people evacuated in Tasman Region, over half a metre of rain falls in Takaka in past 48 hours, heavy rain shifts to North Island and Marlborough. 

More than 100 people had to be evacuated from their homes overnight as the heavy rain which prompted them to leave continues to drench the Tasman region.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Nelson region due to heavy flooding.

Tasman Mayor Richard Kempthorne made the declaration for the Nelson Tasman region tonight following a day of high rains. Saturated ground conditions have caused flooding and land movement in many areas.

Torrential rain will remain in Nelson overnight and is now pushing into the North Island.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan says December 2011 is almost a carbon copy of December 2010.  "Last year we went from a very dry November to a very wet December and in an uncanny coincidence Nelson is again the first region to receive December flooding".

6:58pm --- MetService has lifted the Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Hawkes Bay.

A late winter storm is descending on the Deep South today but for 80% of New Zealand the weather shouldn't be too dramatic due to the angle of attack.

5:10pm -- This warning has been lifted