Rain, thunder and hail is 'good news'

Photo / Richard Robinson

Heavy rains, thunderstorms and hail that battered the country yesterday were actually good news, says the MetService.

Severe weather forecaster John Crouch said the gloomy weather was a sign that winter was finishing.

"These thunderstorms are the first signs of spring," Mr Crouch said.

"It's normal and although it might look a bit bad, it's good news - that spring is starting."

There were thunderstorms in New Plymouth, Cambridge, Hamilton and the Bay of Plenty.

Tauranga had a hailstorm, with hailstones said to be around 1cm to 1.5cm in size, MetService said.

WeatherWatch detected more than 4500 thunderstrikes in Matamata, Taranaki, Northland and Auckland yesterday morning.

A house in the Bay of Plenty was reportedly struck by lightning and ended up with a hole in its roof, although there was no serious damage and no one was hurt.

Thunderstorms and heavy rains covered many parts of Auckland, as well as south of the city, yesterday and continued into the evening.

Mr Crouch said the unsettled weather should ease overnight.

But rain will usher in the working week today, with showers expected in most of the North Island.

Auckland, Whangarei, Taupo, the Waikato and further down towards Palmerston North can all expect wet weather.

In Auckland today, a maximum temperature of 14C or 15C is expected.