Parts of central and northern New Zealand could be in for a battering with heavy rain forecast as a front moves over from the Tasman Sea.
A slow-moving deepening low weather front is generating a moist north to northeast flow through most of Northland, Auckland and Coromandel.
Parts of Taranaki, Taihape and northern Whanganui are also in for bad weather, along with Tasman and Marlborough.
A spate of rain and wind warnings are in place through the central and northern areas of the country, with wild weather likely to linger into Thursday.
An associate front is forecast to move up Aotearoa from the west on Wednesday night, preceded by patches of heavy rain and strong gale force winds, before easing on Thursday.
Up to 90mm of rain could fall in Northland overnight, with MetService issuing a heavy rain warning from 10pm on Wednesday through to 7am on Thursday.
"Within this period, the heaviest rain is expected to occur in a short period overnight when localised downpours of 25 to 40mm per hour are likely for one or two hours," MetService said.
Areas around Mount Taranaki are also in for a dumping of rain from 10pm on Wednesday, with up to 120mm of rain forecast to fall before the red warning lapses at 1pm on Thursday.
Rainfall is likely to reach peak rates of 12 to 25mm per hour overnight and through the next day.
There's also a strong wind watch in place for Taranaki, Taihape and northern parts of Whanganui from 10pm on Wednesday.
The watch remains in place until 10 am on Thursday.
More rain is on the way in Tasman, where the red rain warning came in to force from 10am on Wednesday. It's forecast to remain in place for 27 hours until 1pm on Thursday.
Up to 150mm of rain is likely to fall, particularly around the ranges, with peak rates of up to 20mm per hour from Wednesday night.
The eastern ranges of Bay of Plenty won't feel the brunt of the weather until Thursday, when MetService's red rain warning comes into force from 9am.
Up to 90mm of rain is forecast to fall, with localised downpours up to 40mm per hour on Thursday afternoon before the warning lapses at 6pm.
There are heavy rain and wind watches in place for much of the upper North Island, as well as the Marlborough Sounds, with most of the bad weather set to arrive on Thursday.
Parts of Marlborough may be hit with heavy rain from late Wednesday, with MetService putting a heavy rain watch in place for the Richmond and Bryant Ranges, including Rai Valley and northern parts of Marlborough Sounds.
The watch is in place for 27 hours from 10am Wednesday until 1pm on Thursday.
The heavy rain watch for Auckland, including Great Barrier Island, begins on Thursday at 2am and runs until 9am.
MetService says that rainfall may reach levels that could upgrade the area to a heavy rain warning.
There's also a strong wind watch in place for Auckland, as well as Northland, from late Wednesday.
It's set to kick off at 9pm and will remain in place for 12 hours until 9am on Thursday.
Heavy downpours are possible in Coromandel early Thursday too, with MetService's heavy rain watch coming into place from 3am to 11am.
It's thought that rainfall could push Coromandel's warning up to a heavy rain warning also.
A period of heavy rain is forecast to hit Bay of Plenty from 6am on Thursday, with a heavy rain watch in place for the area, excluding the eastern ranges.
Localised downpours peaking up to 40mm per hour are possible, with rainfall levels potentially reaching rain warning levels.
There's also a strong wind watch in place for coastal Bay of Plenty, north of Te Puke, from 10am to 2pm on Thursday.
The north-easterlies could reach severe gale force winds in exposed areas.
Gisborne, north of Ruatoria, is also in for patches of heavy rain on Thursday, with a rain watch in place from 11am to 7pm.
Rainfall levels may reach short-duration warning criteria.
MetService has also imposed a strong wind watch for coastal Gisborne, as well as Mahia Peninsula and the Wharerata Range, from Thursday.
The watch comes in to place for 6 hours from 11am to 5pm, with winds potentially reaching gale force speeds in exposed areas.
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