It is going to be a damp start to Christmas Day for places like Taranaki, which has an orange heavy rain warning issued from tonight until Monday morning.
The MetService said heavy rain was expected at Mt Taranaki with rainfall of 120 to 150 millimetres near the summit of the maunga from 11pm tonight until 6am on Monday.
There could be peak intensities of 15 to 25 mm per hour, especially Sunday morning and evening, said the MetService.
Thunderstorms were possible on Sunday afternoon and evening.
Westland has also been issued a heavy rain warning from early tomorrow morning until Monday morning, with 140 to 180mm of rain possible.
Meanwhile, there were heavy rain watches for other parts of the country, including Manawatu, Tararua, Kapiti-Horowhenua, Wairarapa and Wellington.
The Tararua Range was expected to be hit with periods of heavy rain from 9am Sunday to 9am on Christmas Day.
Nelson and Malborough will not get through unscathed by the damp weather, with periods of heavy northerly rain forecast for Richmond and Bryant Ranges, north of the Richmond township from 6pm tonight to 10pm on Sunday.
The MetService said heavy rain was also forecast for the Tasman ranges, west of Motueka, which has a watch from 2pm today until 8pm on Sunday.
MetService meteorologist John Law said it would be hot and muggy for the rest of the country.
"As we head into the final days towards Christmas, we'll find our weather dominated by some pretty warm and muggy air," he said.
"[There's] an area of low pressure that's one of the systems introducing all this warm and muggy air over us."
Law said there would be quite a bit of cloud in the upper parts of the North Island on Saturday although eastern areas like the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne would enjoy some sunshine, reaching up to 27 and 26 degrees Celsius respectively.
Bottom parts of the South Island will also have to contend with cloud and a few showers on Saturday, he said.
On Christmas Day itself, while there would have been rain, Law said the weather was expected to improve.
"Everything does look to be improving through the day, so as we head towards the end of the day we should find some dry conditions, perhaps the best of the brightness and the driest, warmest temperatures as well, out towards that eastern side of the North Island ... places like Hawke's Bay up as high as 30 to 32C.
"On the South Island, generally some drier and brighter weather there ... [for] places like Christchurch and Canterbury, [they are] looking pretty decent through Christmas Day."
RNZ
