Thunder and lightning: North Island under severe thunderstorm watch as rain rolls across region

Motorists in Auckland are being told to expect delays as wet weather continues to hit the region.

Much of the upper North Island can expect thunder and lightning this afternoon as a warm, moist front blankets the region.

Northland, Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, the Bay of Plenty and Great Barrier Island are all under a severe thunderstorm watch issued by MetService.

Motorists on Auckland's southwestern motorway travelling north are being told to expect delays after a vehicle collision.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency said both left northbound lanes are blocked. A police spokesperson said there are no injuries.

UPDATE 6:15PM
With both lanes BLOCKED on SH20 prior to the Maioro St off-ramp, expect DELAYS up to 15 minutes along this route or consider using an alternative route. Take extra care. ^DL https://t.co/dUtFOZzyxh

— Waka Kotahi NZTA Auckland & Northland (@WakaKotahiAkNth) December 12, 2021

The watch will remain in place until midnight on Sunday and residents are urged to take care, as the intense thunderstorms could produce torrential rain which carries the risk of slips and flash flooding alongside it.

Residents in Whenuapai have also reported an unplanned power outage. Vector said the power outage was reported at 3.40pm and a crew is being sent to the area.

We've just issued a 🟡⛈ Severe Thunderstorm Watch ⛈🟡 for parts of Te Ika-a-Māui, from 11am to midnight today.

The affected regions are Northland, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, and Bay of Plenty.

Full details at https://t.co/qHyE5zhh6X pic.twitter.com/sON5TuuV3s

— MetService (@MetService) December 11, 2021

The tropical disturbance south of the Solomon Islands has now been officially named by the Bureau of Meteorology: Tropical Cyclone Ruby.

For the latest information on Tropical Cyclone Ruby, make sure to check out https://t.co/P0S8pVA9DB. pic.twitter.com/MRtpnrjjPM

— MetService (@MetService) December 12, 2021

Localised downpours could produce up to 40mm of rain, which MetService warns could lead to hazardous driving conditions. Surface flooding could also occur in places hit by these downpours.

The weather will remain wet into Monday and possibly even Tuesday as a low-pressure system moves from the Tasman over Aotearoa. Further into the week the system will deepen and move southeast, bringing "significant rain and strong winds".

🌧️It will be a wet Sunday across the North Island and the top of the South Island, with locally heavy rainfall amounts that could approach 50 mm in some areas

🌡️In addition, onshore winds will bring chilly temperatures to the east of both islands, while western areas remain warm pic.twitter.com/T5KbovkNqe

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) December 11, 2021

"During Tuesday and Wednesday, there is moderate confidence of warning amounts of rain for the north and west of the North Island from Northland to the ranges of Gisborne, and to Wellington, also northern Marlborough and Tasman."

Wellington also experienced winter-like conditions on Sunday with rain and strong winds hitting the capital.

The weather has caused a tree and powerlines to fall in the suburb of Wadestown, closing Mairangi Rd shortly before 2pm.