6:45pm Sunday — Here’s what is making the weather headlines this evening …

Track heaviest downpours using rain radar.

⚡️Thunderstorms are easing slowly over #EasternWaikato – they're generally tracking north east.

Some spillover into #WesternBoP too (#Katikati to #Waihi area).

Final Update. pic.twitter.com/LdnTi6wGVX

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) October 8, 2023

⚡️6pm: #Thunderstorms are tracking northwards, but the low pressure zone creating them is pulling eastwards.

The storms are now mostly between #Matamata and #TeAroha, moving in towards the Kaimais. #Waikato.#Katikati in #WesternBoP also exposed to storms. pic.twitter.com/Bih2y9el3b

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) October 8, 2023

🚨⚡️Thunderstorm outbreak around #Matamata is slowly tracking northwards towards #Morrinsville & #TeAroha. #Cambridge also affected & some parts of #Hamilton. It's moving northwards but also being pulled eastwards slowly & may change.

📡Track on radar: https://t.co/sZ6VGec556 pic.twitter.com/fxW84gIFxA

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) October 8, 2023

Look! It’s a bear holding a salmon looking to see what’s going on. pic.twitter.com/EXojYPDCmt

— Annikakes 🇳🇿 (@annikakes) October 8, 2023

@WeatherWatchNZ Whitianga 4pm ish 25 min hailstorm pic.twitter.com/bNEQPoHyGv

— Ruprecht Maximus (@kiwijason1969) October 8, 2023

Bit mean out there alright, has moved over our house currently (matamata)⛈️ pic.twitter.com/a7AV9GVK2T

— Pesky Pukeko🇳🇿🖌🐄☕(Aimz) (@PeskyPukeko) October 8, 2023

@WeatherWatchNZ massive hailstorm in Whitianga just passed pic.twitter.com/YI2PxM5kHQ

— Ruprecht Maximus (@kiwijason1969) October 8, 2023

⛈️"Looking towards #Matamata…" https://t.co/DOq7tAtx12

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) October 8, 2023

🚨⚡️Severe Thunderstorm Warning for near #Matamata.#Waikato.

⚠️Live official @MetService Warnings: https://t.co/7xoHnjeNiw pic.twitter.com/3kurrmmWb3

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) October 8, 2023

⚡️#Waikato – Thunderstorm outbreak in progress. Track the heaviest downpours on rain radar: https://t.co/sZ6VGec556 pic.twitter.com/F1nL3O5J5x

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) October 8, 2023

🌪️Nice weak funnel cloud – a tornado forms when (or if) that reaches the ground. They may disappear as fast as they appear… others may linger and become dangerous briefly. Keep your eyes on the skies.🙄#Auckland #UpperNorthIsland. #Instability 🌀#UnderLowPressure https://t.co/2RuLtw2rwc

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) October 8, 2023

⚡️Thunderstorms are now developing and spreading across the upper North Island due to low pressure and instability. Some downpours will come and go fairly quickly. Others may linger.

📡Track the downpours on rain radar: https://t.co/sZ6VGec556 pic.twitter.com/efaHm5G8S4

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) October 8, 2023

HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDER POTENTIAL ON SUNDAY

A low pressure system brings unsettled weather to the North Island on Sunday, southerlies pushing into the east coast moving around the southern side of the low means rain for Hawkes Bay and Gisborne could be heavy.

A few heavy isolated heavy falls with thunderstorms are possible for Northland around midday as a gusty southwesterly change moves in. And finally about Waikato and southern Auckland unstable conditions develop in the afternoon bringing the chance of a few heavy falls and some thunder as a southerly airflow converges with a southwest coming in from the Tasman Sea.

The CAPE map below (Convective available potential energy) shows some instability for the upper North Island, Northland has a higher figure around midday then mid to late afternoon CAPE gets higher for Waikato and southern Auckland. For more on CAPE please see this page here.

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WEATHER ON SUNDAY

A low pressure system brings unsettled weather to the North Island meanwhile further south conditions are mainly settled thanks to a ridge although a front brushes the far south bringing a few showers.

North Island

Morning sunny spells for the upper North Island, a few isolated showers possible. Bay Of Plenty has morning rain especially in the east then clearing. Heavy showers and possible thunderstorms develop north of Auckland around midday as a gusty southwest change moves in, easing and clearing in the evening. Waikato and southern Auckland are dry in the morning, showers develop in the afternoon possibly heavy with thunder, clearing evening. Morning cloud in the southwest (Taranaki through to Wellington) then breaking to afternoon sunny spells, there may be a shower or two.

South Island

Partly cloudy for the top of the South Island, there may be one or two isolated showers. The West Coast is mostly sunny after any morning cloud breaks away. Some cloud for Southland and Otago with southwesterlies, a few showers for coastal areas. Canterbury is sunnier but cloud starts to thicken up from afternoon inland then spreading to the coast in the evening, winds from the south or southeast.

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