Thunder, lightning, hail and rain are on the cards for much of the country this afternoon and evening.
"Heads-up," NIWA's forecasting team warned, as several fronts and troughs are set to affect Aotearoa today.
In the north of the North Island including Auckland, there's a moderate risk of thunderstorms, MetService said.
"These thunderstorms will produce localised heavy rain (10 to 25mm per hour) and possibly small hail," the forecaster predicts.
The thunderstorm risk is also moderate for North Otago and Canterbury this afternoon and early evening. Localised heavy rain with intensities of 10-20mm per hour and hail of 5-15mm in diameter are possible.
"There is a low risk of thunderstorms over a wider area of Otago, Canterbury and the Kaikoura Coast," MetService said.
And there is a low risk of thunderstorms for southern and some eastern parts of the North Island, northwest Tasman and the Marlborough Sounds, and Westland (although the risk is moderate in Buller).
Thankfully, conditions are expected to "stabilise very rapidly early tomorrow morning".
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