Here’s what is making the weather headlines today….

☔️⚠️The heaviest rain is slooowly sliding eastwards…

9am, 10am, 11am maps below.

Please note – more intense downpours could form behind this main front during the afternoon (isolated thunder too).

Track @MetService radar here: https://t.co/sZ6VGec556 pic.twitter.com/ZLEim2xyzr

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) May 8, 2023

HEAVY RAIN – UPPER NORTH ISLAND ESPECIALLY

A front moving in from the Tasman Sea brings rain to western regions with heavy falls today, also the top of the South Island (Tasman, Nelson, Marlborough).

It’s the upper North Island that gets the heaviest rain, starting out about Northland and Taranaki this morning, moving into Auckland, Waikato and the Central North Island during this afternoon then reaching into Bay Of Plenty and East Cape this evening.

Rain warnings from Metservice have been issued, you can see them here.

THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL

If heavy rain wasn’t enough, there may be thunderstorms thrown into the mix today. This is mostly the case for the upper North Island and along the West Coast of the South Island.

For further information on today’s thunderstorm potential, please see these charts from Metservice here.

COLD CHANGE SPREADS NORTH ON WEDNESDAY

Wednesday is when temperatures drop and southwesterlies spread northwards over the country, most regions are going to see rain or showers apart from north of Napier through to Gisborne, rain or showers finally get in there Thursday afternoon or evening. South Westland will dry up in the evening on Wednesday as the airflow tends to the south.

Snow is likely for the ranges, lowering to 300m on Wednesday night about the far south, 400m for North Canterbury on Thursday morning before clearing and perhaps getting as low as 600m for the Central Plateau on Thursday evening before clearing away overnight.

Friday we see improvement in the weather with high pressure starting to push in from the Tasman Sea, cold to start though especially about inland areas.

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