Severe thunderstorm watch in place for the North Island’s east coast as rain falls in Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay

Residents of the North Island’s already battered east coast are again being urged to keep one eye on the sky, with rain already falling in Gisborne and parts of Hawke’s Bay after a severe thunderstorm watch was issued.

MetService issued the watch for parts of Gisborne, northern Hawke’s Bay, the Bay of Plenty, and Taupō on Saturday.

MetService forecaster Gerard Bellam said the heaviest rain seen so far was 21mm in the hour up till 5pm in the Gisborne ranges.

He said those ranges fed down to water catchments and rivers, which could impact areas already devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle.

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The areas specifically at risk were eastern Bay of Plenty, eastern Taupo, inland parts of Gisborne and northern Hawke’s Bay.

There was a moderate risk of thunderstorms for central and eastern parts of the North Island on Saturday evening which would bring localised heavy rain and small hail.

MetService said they were expected to be slow-moving, and consequently a moderate risk that some could become severe, producing localised downpours of 25 to 40mm per hour, or possibly more.

Rainfall of that intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, and make driving hazardous.

The country’s wettest areas will be “anywhere on the east coast with southerly wind flows bringing cold showery flows to all eastern regions,” Owen said.