Weather: Rain to dampen Auckland Anniversary weekend, MetService forecasts

Rain is set to plague this year’s Auckland Anniversary weekend, with flood-threatening subtropical downpours and thunderstorms forecast to hammer some areas of the north and showers expected throughout the region.

As large numbers of Aucklanders prepare to leave the city for holiday hotsports, the MetService has issued an orange heavy rain warning for Northland beginning at 10pm Thursday.

The warning is in place until 10pm on Friday.

MetService expects up to 130mm of rain, especially in the east and north and said thunderstorms are possible.

Peak rain rates between 10 and 20 mm per hour are expected.

“Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous,” MetService warned.

After the deluge kicks off the long weekend, MetService meteorologist Paul Gorman said it isn’t likely the weather will get much better.

Today, Auckland is expected to have a layer of cloud settle over most regions, with showers breaking through in the evenings.

The rain is expected to ramp up as we enter Friday, however, with the entire area under the same influence of the same subtropical storm hitting Northland the same day.

The rain sets in on Saturday with a much heavier force as the storm makes its way down towards Auckland and away from Northland.

This won’t be welcome news for Elton John concertgoers who might be still standing but likely standing in the rain in the largely unsheltered Mt Smart Stadium.

Gorman said the weather is likely to be worse in Northland, but linger the longest in Auckland.

On Sunday, it’s a similar story, with showers throughout the region, finally easing in the evening.

Laneway festival-goers might be wise to pack a poncho, with showery weather expected in the area.

The wind is also expected to pick up on Monday, with brisk north easterly’s turning to gusts in exposed places.

This may be another normally sunny weekend filled with camping trips and holiday getaways that will be ruined by the weather this summer.

Ex-cyclone Hale swept through the east coast of the North Island on the 9th of this month, and lingered for two days, causing widespread damage.

There was a mass exodus of holidaymakers as they fled the Coromandel and other popular holiday spots along the east coast.

Many trips were canceled as heavy rains belted the area, causing massive slips and widespread damage.

According to the regional monitoring network, Waikato Regional Council, the Coromandel received 800 millimeters of rain from January 1 to January 11 – a new record.

On its website, Thames-Coromandel District Council (TCDC) said Hale had “left significant damage along the east coast, and that it expected the bill for repair costs to run into a “serious” six-figure [numbers].

It had earlier described the storm as a “once in 20 year event.”