Showers and thunderstorms could strike parts of New Zealand on Sunday afternoon as a wet and storm lead-up to Christmas continues.
A MetService satellite view shows thunderstorm formation underway, while winds drive widespread rain over the Canterbury Plains.
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued from 2-10pm today for inland parts of the upper South Island.
"Localised downpours of 25-40mm/hr are possible in the event of a thunderstorm. Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding in any places where this may occur. These conditions, along with poor visibility in heavy rain, make driving hazardous," MetService said on Facebook.
"There is also a yellow heavy rain watch in place for a similar area until 3am tomorrow because we expect periods of widespread heavy rain even though any downpours will be localised."
A yellow heavy rain watch is also in place from 3-11pm for the inland ranges of Hawke's Bay.
"There is also a risk of thunderstorms and downpours there, but the chance that any thunderstorms may become severe there is lower than for the South Island area," MetService added.
