A heavy rain watch is in place for Bay of Plenty.
MetService issued the watch this morning and is in place from 4pm Thursday until 1am Friday.
Occasional rain develops on Thursday, with persistent and possibly heavy falls in the afternoon and evening.
Today is mostly fine with cloudy periods.
The weather is driven by a low over the Tasman Sea with an associated front, preceded by a strong northeast flow, moving eastwards over the North Island and northern South Island during Thursday and early Friday morning.