Hawke’s Bay weather: Torrential rain to dampen the weekend

Gloomy skies over Tom Parker Fountain in Napier on Thursday. Photo / Warren Buckland

Torrential rainfall has been forecast this weekend across Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne with a heavy rain watch now in place.

MetService’s heavy rain watch spans from 3am Saturday until 6am Sunday in Hawke’s Bay and follows a week of sporadic rainfall across the region.

“Rainfall amounts may approach warning criteria, mainly about the ranges,” the MetService alert read.

MetService meteorologist Andrew James said it could cause issues for the region already recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle.

“Tairāwhiti/Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay are both still in recovery mode, so this spell of heavy rain could cause issues.

“There’s still a bit to happen before the weekend and we will update [or] upgrade those watches as the event unfolds.”

The MetService heavy rain watch stated a southeast flow was affecting the North Island over the next few days.

“A trough embedded in this flow moves over the eastern North Island during Saturday and early Sunday,” the alert read.

Some sporting grounds have been closed this week due to the already high rainfall, and this weekend’s rain will likely cause further disruption to some codes.

Meanwhile, the rain watch further up the coast in Gisborne is in place from midnight Friday until 6am Sunday.