This rain could put a damper on Auckland’s sports-packed weekend, potentially affecting the One New Zealand Warriors’ clash with the Gold Coast Titans at Go Media Stadium in Penrose.

MetService has warned that a complex trough is set to pummel parts of New Zealand this weekend. Image / Windy.com

He said that alongside the rain, MetService was expecting “pretty squally thunderstorms in western areas”.

The main concern was heavy rain over short periods for localised areas.

“Unfortunately, that includes northern and eastern parts of Northland, which as we know [has] already had so much rain this year. This isn’t something that they want.”

He said MetService was not expecting this weekend’s weather to be as severe or as impactful as previous events, such as Cyclone Vaianu, but the risk of flash flooding remained.

Temperatures would be “a touch warmer” than average for this time of year, White said.

“We’re seeing low temperatures of around the mid-teens for most places. Further south [they’re] still getting some single digits, though.”

Severe weather watches and warnings

An orange heavy rain warning is in place for Taranaki north of about Eltham and King Country from 11am today until 5am tomorrow.

The same warning is in place for the Buller and the Grey districts until 11am.

The headwaters of the Canterbury lakes and rivers are under the same rain warning until 6am.

A heavy rain watch is in place for the northern and eastern parts of Northland, north of Whangārei, from 9pm until 5am tomorrow.

Tasman northwest of Motueka is also under the same watch until 3pm.

The Tararua Range, the Kāpiti coast and parts of Wellington north of Porirua are under the same heavy rain watch until 2am tomorrow.

The Richmond and Bryant Ranges are under the same watch until 3pm.

Wild weather next week

On Sunday, a “very large area of low pressure” would sit over the top of the country, White said.

“Because of that, we have a number of spiral bands of rain that kind of wrap around the low and just bring periods of rain or showers to much of the country through Sunday and into Monday.”

At the start of next week, the rain bands were expected to shift eastwards.

“Those bands, instead of passing over, they start becoming slow-moving. And that is potentially going to bring some persistent and possibly significant rain.”

He said at this stage it was still uncertain where the rain would fall, though the eastern South Island appeared most likely to be wet through the beginning of next week.

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