Thunder and lightning: North Island under heavy thunderstorms Watch the rain roll through the region

Motorists in Auckland are advised to expect delays as wet weather continues to prevail in the area.

Much of the Upper North Island can expect thunder and lightning this afternoon as a warm, humid front covers the region.

Northland, Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Great Barrier Island are all under a rigorous MetService storm watch.

Motorists traveling north on Auckland’s southwestern motorway should expect delays after a vehicle collision.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said both left lanes going north are closed. A police spokesman said there were no injuries.

The clock will stay in place until midnight on Sunday, and residents are urged to be careful as the intense thunderstorms could produce torrential rain, creating the risk of slips and flash floods.

Whenuapai residents have also reported an unplanned power outage. Vector said the blackout was reported at 3:40 p.m. and a crew would be dispatched to the area.

Local rainfall can generate up to 40mm of rain which, MetService warns, could lead to dangerous driving conditions. Surface flooding could also occur in places affected by these rains.

The weather will stay wet through Monday and possibly even Tuesday as a Tasman low pressure system moves over Aotearoa. As the week progresses, the system will deepen and shift to the southeast, bringing with it “significant rain and high winds”.

“On Tuesday and Wednesday there is moderate confidence in cautionary amounts of rain for the north and west of the North Island from Northland to the mountain ranges of Gisborne and to Wellington, also north of Marlborough and Tasman.”

Wellington also experienced wintry conditions on Sunday with rain and strong winds hitting the capital.

The weather resulted in a tree and power lines falling in the suburb of Wadestown, and Mairangi Road closing just before 2 p.m.