After more than 24 hours of gale force winds, sometimes severe at Cape Reinga, the winds are starting to ease in Northland and Auckland but are set to build in the South Island.

This morning public weather forecaster MetService issued a further 10 severe weather warnings covering both heavy rain and gales for a number of western, inland and southern regions of the South Island.  A rain warning also remains in place for Northland where a small but heavy area of rain is falling between Kaitaia and the Bay of Islands.

All current, detailed, weather warnings can be found here.

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In Auckland blustery conditions remain however they’re just shy of gale force in Auckland Harbour and are now showing signs of easing a little, as expected by WeatherWatch.co.nz yesterday.   The winds will die out significant by tonight.

The warmer north easterlies have already lifted temperatures considerably with 20 degrees in Whangarei and 19 in Auckland.  It’s 18 in Waikato, Whakatane New Plymouth and Levin.

It’s 16 in Wellington and just 13 in Lower Hutt.

In the South Island Westport is mild with 19 degrees thanks to the easterly warming as it descends over the Southern Alps.

Southland is the coolest area with some places still in single digits such as Lumsden on 7.

The wettest place is northern Northland and Tauranga with the rest of New Zealand mostly dry. 

The Weather Watch Centre believes little rain will fall in most main centres today however tonight heavier rain is possible.  WeatherWatch.co.nz’s new independent Auckland weather forecasts predict the chance of rain in Auckland late this afternoon or tonight rising to 70% but dropping s to 40% on Sunday and just 30% on Monday. 

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan says the trend is the important thing to look out for with percentages.  “Quite clearly the best ingredients for making rain at the time of this forecast being issued is for rain later today or tonight in Auckland and surrounding areas”.  Mr Duncan says the next run of percentages will be this afternoon at 4pm which will “give us are clearest picture yet of where the rain is falling this weekend”.

As stated in an earlier press release all eyes are now on the next low moving towards New Zealand from Tasmania.  In the latest weather chart from MetService the centre of the low at midnight Sunday will be about 1 and a half times the size of the South Island – compared to today’s low that has a centre the size of Central Plateau. 

Mr Duncan says a bigger centre usually means lighter winds near the centre however it indicates rather than a brief passing the low will affect our weather for much longer – in this case most of next week for the entire country.