Warning imminent, Cyclone Cody's coming to Hawke's Bay

Onlookers chance the conditions after warnings of large waves on the Napier coast in November. It's not recommended viewing. Photo / NZME

Significant waves and possible flooding are still being forecast as weather agency MetService continues plotting the arrival of Tropical Cyclone Cody.

But amid a general prediction for swells on the east coast from Northland to Banks Peninsula there were no formal alerts of weather watches by late Thursday, said Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group controller Ian Macdonald.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/cyclone-cody-storm-approaching-new-zealand-could-bring-8m-waves/MCUE36VR2YO2LBQHOH3QOPE7PQ/

"This is an event of interest which is how I would put it," he said, saying the need is for people to keep an eye on the daily forecasts, which national weather agency MetService says will start on Friday.

MetService says on its website it will issue warnings, but for the area from Bay of Plenty to Hawke's Bay it already had "high confidence of heavy rain reaching warning criteria from late Sunday into Monday, and severe gales in exposed places".

The latest release from MetService on Thursday afternoon said the cyclone was moving towards New Zealand and very stormy weather was forecast to hit parts of the North Island and upper South Island.

Impacts are "likely" to begin in the north on Sunday and move down the country, the release said.

"Exactly where the greatest impact from the expected gale force winds and heavy rain will be, is still uncertain but areas including Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Hawke's Bay look likely to bear the brunt of the storm.

"As the path of Cyclone Cody becomes clearer MetService will issue Severe Weather Watches and Warnings (by midday Friday) which will include more detail and likely impacts for each region," it said.

MetService has taken over the watch from Fijian authorities and expects the tropical cyclone to become Cyclone Cody, but meteorologist April Clark warns, "though Cyclone Cody will no longer be a tropical cyclone by the time it affects New Zealand, this doesn't mean it will have lost any of its sting.

"Currently the exact path Cody will take over New Zealand during Sunday and Monday has significant variability, but it is clear that the upper two thirds of the country will see some form of severe weather from the system and the north and east will get large swell."

Surf Life Saving New Zealand has been warning beachgoers to be wary of dangerous conditions, not only while in the surf but also near the water's edge.