Keep the umbrella on hand, wet weather set to stay

People brave the rain and wind as they go about their day in the Auckland CDB. Photo / Dean Purcell

Don't put away the umbrellas and gum boots just yet, another wet weather system is set to hit New Zealand this week.

Philip Duncan of WeatherWatch said another band of wet, cold weather would be making its way across the country throughout today and next week.

"We are going to have big down pours in the North Island and isolated thunder storms, it is quite a big system crossing us. Today is the day that we are getting the first hints of it," he said.

Today a narrow band of rain has crept across parts of Northland and Auckland in the lead up to the system bring with it drizzle and patchy rain and in some parts, really intense down pours with the potential to cause flash flooding.

"It is a typical nor east set up actually and it is very common to have light drizzly, misty rain mixed in with torrential downpours.

There is the potential for flooding because the rain levels are high enough to overwhelm drains, gutters and small streams and creeks," Mr Duncan said.

"It is a very localised situation which means if you are a kilometre away from the showers you will just have drizzle."

Wellingtonians can expect a dry but cloudy day with showers setting in as the day goes on.

"Wellington are a little bit too far away from the weather system but they are getting the outer edges of it. They will be getting cloud and a bit of drizzle but nothing dramatic. It is a fairly in between day for them," Mr Duncan said.

Western parts of the North Island should experience showers while the east coast should have a dry day.

"The country is split in half, east vs west," Mr Duncan said.