Updated 11:30pm — Windier weather will step up further overnight across the upper North Island as the final surge of stormy weather moves in.

As predicted by WeatherWatch.co.nz Auckland has had a mainly dry day with just a few brief showers.  Rain has returned to Northland and is heavy and set in – and is heading south with heavy falls.

Localised bursts of rain sometime around dawn tomorrow morning (+/- a few hours) could cause flash flooding and surface flooding in Auckland and Northland – and put further strain on already flooded rivers across Northland.

Torrential bursts of rain are already heading into Northland. Watch for possible slips and flooding around Kaeo especially.

WINDS (updated Friday afternoon)
Most of the winds are now being caused by a large blocking high pressure system to the east.  The upper and western parts of New Zealand are on the fringes of this high today where a belt of strong anticyclonic winds spin.  

However across Friday night and into early Saturday a new area of low pressure from the Tasman Sea will move in – this will add even more pressure to this windy ‘squash zone’ across Friday PM and Saturday AM.

This means windy weather is here for another 24 to 36 hours in the upper North Island – then a breather of calm should move in.

For Friday it means another windy day for Auckland with gales at times in exposed places.  For the most part today isn’t too bad but gusts will reach 90km/h this afternoon, 100km/h this evening and up to 110km/h early on Saturday morning as the main front moves in.  For the most part this is below damaging threshold, but some areas may see more branches and trees down, along with associated power cuts.

Nor’easters may rise to 120km/h about the western slopes of Kaimai and Coromandel Ranges – this could once again lead to damage of weak structures and making driving hazardous.  Isolated power cuts may also return Saturday morning.

Strongest winds
These will be around coastal and rural Auckland, the Hauraki Gulf, Eastern Waikato and western Coromandel Peninsula, and lower Northland.

Winds, for the most part, will be under damaging threshold but on top of recent heavy rains and gales isolated areas of damage, and localised power cuts, are again a possibility overnight Friday/Saturday AM.

Driving in Auckland will be difficult at times in strong gusts today, especially the Auckland Harbour Bridge and exposed rural areas to the north.  Roads along the western Kaimai and Coromandel ranges will also be tricky today.

It’s not just the upper North Island in for gales overnight either – exposed parts of both islands, especially through central and eastern New Zealand, will also see strong to gale force winds across Friday and parts of Saturday. While not quite as strong as northern areas the winds will still be blustery and may make driving tricky across the ranges and exposed highways.

Places that have been windy this week should be calm or fairly calm by Saturday night and Sunday.

Windy weather returns to the North Island on Tuesday and Wednesday, it will be mainly southerly and this time the lower North Island may be more exposed.  Next week a high is expected to roll in for Southerners bringing clearer skies, lighter winds and a return to frosts.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz