MetService says it is keeping a watchful eye over the current weather systems ahead of "strengthening" tropical cyclones forming in the Pacific.
Some heavy rain watches and warnings were in place this morning across the country, but forecasters said this system was separate from the two cyclones currently sitting in the South Pacific.
Metservice meterologist Heather Keats said Tropical Cyclone Vaianu was expected to start "knocking on our doors" from Saturday night.
"There’s kind of two systems playing out. So it’s important for people to note that the weather we’re experiencing today and tomorrow is not the cyclone.
"So the cyclone is expected to arrive in the weekend. But for now, we're dealing with two low pressure systems actually. A subtropical low moving down over the North Island, and that’s the rain we’re experiencing."
She said "lots of heavy rain fell overnight, and there’s going to plenty more today".
Parts of the country who were hit hard by weather in the past two weeks would be "watching closely", she added, as thunderstorms, localised downpours and strong winds were forecast into Thursday.
Tropical cyclone heading for NZ 'strengthening', likely to be upgraded - watch on TVNZ+
"That system is going to continue to track over the country today, with the last of the current weather watches expiring at 11am on Thursday... but that’s for this system. Watches and warnings would be issued shortly for the next system."
She said attention would then turn to the two tropical cyclones forming in the Pacific - tropical cyclone Maila and tropical cyclone Vaianu.
Keats said Maila was currently a category 3 storm, which would "not going to have any influence on our weather, fortunately".
"However, tropical cyclone Vaianu is currently a category 2 storm and is likely to be upgraded because it is strengthening. It is going to move southeast in the next sort of 24 hours, continue to instensify, and Fiji is going to feel the impacts of Vaianu.
"First they'll have strong gale winds, large waves, and then it's going to start to move southeast during Wednesday, continue south [on] Thursday [and] Friday, and start knocking on our doors from Saturday night."
She said it was too early to know the full extent of the cyclone's impacts, but warned "current modelling suggest this particular storm could still be a catgory 2 tropical cyclone by the time it reaches New Zealand's waters".
Keats said this could bring "very strong winds, lots of heavy rain, and large swells".
Current watches and warnings
Heavy Rain Warning – Orange
Northland – 20 hours from 10pm Monday to 6pm today.
Heavy Rain Watch
Auckland north of Papakura and Great Barrier Island – 16 hours from 9am today to 1am Wednesday.
Coromandel Peninsula – 18 hours from midday today to 6am Wednesday.
Bay of Plenty west of Whakatāne, including Rotorua – 27 hours from 3pm today to 6pm Wednesday.
Bay of Plenty about and east of Whakatāne – 34 hours from 1am Wednesday to 11am Thursday.
Tasman northwest of Motueka – 15 hours from 6pm today to 9am Wednesday.
Strong Wind Watch
Northland – 13 hours from 4am to 5pm today.
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