Thunderstorm Outlook
Issued at 7:46pm 11/07/2026
Valid from 7:46pm 11/07/2026 to Midnight 12/07/2026
A trough is expected to lie slow moving over the northern coast of Northland and extend from there out to the east. There is a low risk of thunderstorms with heavy rain associated with it as indicated on the chart. The risk of other thunderstorms or significant convection elsewhere in New Zealand is minimal during this period.
Severe Thunderstorm Criteria
In New Zealand, MetService classifies a thunderstorm as severe if one or more of the following criteria are met:
Heavy rain (from thunderstorms):
Rainfall of 25mm/h, or more.
Large hail:
Hailstones 20mm in diameter, or larger.
Strong wind gusts (from thunderstorms):
Gusts of 110km/h (60 knots) or stronger.
Damaging tornadoes:
Fujita F1 - i.e. wind speeds greater than 116km/h (63 knots) or stronger.
Note: some tornadic systems such as funnel clouds, waterspouts and small land-based tornadoes are possible with thunderstorms that may not be classified as severe.
