Weather: Burst of heavy rain for North Island; thunderstorms, downpours possible

A heavy rain watch is in place for Waikato, Waitomo, Taumarunui and Taupō until 8am.

Bakker said heavy rain was classified as 6mm/h, while localised downpours can be 25-35mm/h.

“That’s torrential rain, but they tend to only happen for brief periods at a time,” he said.

“It will be 10 minutes of absolute hammering and then not so bad for the rest of the hour.”

Niwa Weather predicted the worst of the rain would have eased for Auckland by this morning.

A band of heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms will move across the North Island tonight. In Auckland, the heaviest rain is expected overnight, easing around the morning commute.

For Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, the rain arrive later, with conditions clearing by midday. pic.twitter.com/dw7Hl2rqJ1

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) March 29, 2026

“For Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne, the rain arrives later, with conditions clearing by midday.”

This comes after a week of extreme downpours and strong winds that wreaked havoc across the country, causing evacuations and leaving thousands without power.

Areas like Kaitāia and Kerikeri recorded more than one month’s rainfall in just a few days.

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