The Government forecaster has issued a tornado and thunderstorm risk for northern New Zealand on Thursday.

“A brief burst of heavy rain is likely in Northland, Auckland and northern Coromandel” says MetService, saying the front will move across Northland in the morning and lie across Auckland around lunchtime.  “…thunderstorms may produce localised rainfall rates of 10 to 20mm/hr, strong wind gusts of 100 km/h, and the chance of a few small tornadoes about the north and east coasts of Northland and the Hauraki Gulf”.

The front should then cross Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty during the afternoon. “This front is likely to bring a brief period of heavy rain, with a moderate risk of a few embedded thunderstorms. Any thunderstorms that occur could produce localised rainfall rates of 10 to 20mm/hr and squally winds with gusts 90 km/h” says MetService.