Weather: Flights delayed as fog blankets Auckland Airport; more heavy rain on the way

Aucklanders have woken to blanketing fog this morning, with widespread delays, diversions and cancellations affecting flights at the airport.

Auckland Airport implemented its fog restrictions at 8am and within two hours 26 domestic flights were delayed and six were cancelled.

Two more regional flights have been diverted away from Auckland.

One flight between Auckland and Christchurch and another between Auckland and Queenstown was delayed.

The fog restrictions were lifted soon after 10am.

Flights between Auckland and Wellington and Dunedin have not been affected.

A lone cyclist battles the fog in Auckland today. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

International flights are also unaffected.

Passengers should check Auckland Airport's website for the latest flight arrival and departure information.

Auckland residents staying put in the city can expect the fog to clear to a fine morning before isolated showers arrive in the afternoon.

The city is expecting a high of 16C today and tomorrow, forecaster MetService says.

Whangārei, Tauranga and Hamilton can also expect fine conditions over the weekend with occasional showers and highs ranging from 15C to 16C.

We are experiencing fog at Auckland Airport – delays and cancellations are expected. For the latest flight information visit https://t.co/sXzDxizDqH.

— Auckland Airport (@AKL_Airport) July 23, 2021

Wellington and Christchurch are also expecting mostly fine weekends with temperatures ranging from 11C to 14C.

However, MetService also warned the next nasty weather system was already on its way to New Zealand and was due to arrive before the weekend was up, bringing "with it a widespread risk of severe weather".

"Wind and rain will approach warning criteria for many parts of Aotearoa," it said.

That includes a moderate chance of very heavy falls along the West Coast of the South Island and Nelson as well as Taranaki in the North Island.

There was a lower risk of heavy falls across much of the rest of the country.

Strong winds and in some cases severe gales are also expected to buffet most of the country.

The fog in downtown Auckland this morning. Photo / Carolyn Hutchings

Forecaster WeatherWatch expects between 60mm and 150mm to dump on the Nelson region between Sunday and Tuesday.

The large weather system would bring gales to both the south coast of Australia and then into New Zealand, WeatherWatch said.

"The rough weather may impact flights in both nations (especially turbo-prop planes and smaller airports) with some highways impacted too," WeatherWatch's Philip Duncan said.

"In Nelson, more rain is coming from Sunday to Tuesday – which may lead to further pockets of flooding and slips, which may also impact highways."