Easter weekend weather isn't looking too appealing for parts of the North Island with heavy rain and gales expected.
MetService has issued orange heavy rain warnings for Gisborne and Hawke's Bay north of Napier from 9am on Good Friday until at least 6am on Sunday.
The forecaster said Gisborne residents should expect between 150 and 200mm of rain in the ranges and 80-130mm on the coast.
Rain in Hawke's Bay could range from 150-200mm north of Wairoa and between 100 and 150mm further south, MetService said.
"A complex low lies to the northeast of the North Island and is moving slowly southeastwards to lie east of Gisborne tomorrow," the forecaster said in a statement on Friday.
MetService said Bay of Plenty near the eastern ranges was also under a strong wind watch.
Many other parts of New Zealand could also experience a wet weekend, with overcast conditions and isolated showers expected throughout the North Island on Saturday. In the south, Canterbury and Marlborough have also been told to expect isolated showers on Saturday.
MetService's short forecast for Friday
- Northland: Occasional rain
- Auckland, Waikato, Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty: Scattered rain, clearing on Friday morning but remaining partly cloudy
- Gisborne and Hawke's Bay: Periods of rain, with some heavy falls.
- Waitomo to Wellington, including the central high country and Wairarapa: Partly cloudy.
- Nelson, Buller and Westland: Fine
- Marlborough and Canterbury: Mostly cloudy with patchy rain, clearing on Friday morning and fine spells increasing
- Otago, Southland and Fiordland: Fine with morning frost and fog patches, but cloudy periods and isolated showers for coastal Southland and southern Fiordland
- Chatham Islands: A few showers clearing and becoming fine on Friday morning.
Extended forecast - Saturday
- North Island: Rain in the north and east, possibly heavy in Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, and Northland. Rain eases to showers in the north later. Cloudy with isolated showers elsewhere
- South Island: Fine in the west and south but mostly cloudy with isolated showers for Marlborough and Canterbury.
Extended forecast - Sunday
- North Island: Rain in the east, easing to a few showers. Showers developing elsewhere
- South Island: Rain or showers gradually spread south, except for Southland where it'll be dry.
Extended forecast - Monday
- North Island: Showers in the north and west, mainly fine in the east
- South Island: Rain but scattered showers in the south. Rain will ease in Marlborough later in the day.
Newshub.
