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More unsettled weather is to come after a "blustery and thundery weekend", MetService says.
The weekend saw a severe thunderstorm watch issued for western part of the North Island and the Marlborough Sounds from Saturday night into Sunday morning.
From midnight on Friday until 6am on Monday, more than 93,000 lightning strikes were record, MetService meteorologist Alwyn Bakker said.
About a quarter of that number occurred over land and was accompanied by heavy rain and thunder.
"Rain intensities peaked at 15mm/h for most affected regions, with some areas seeing 20 to 25mm/h," Bakker said.
"However, once the majority of the thunderstorms cleared on Sunday morning the weather improved significantly for much of the country, with temperatures reaching the high teens to low 20s in both main islands."
Winds increasing overnight across the South Island along with another pulse of heavy rain.
— MetService (@MetService) September 2, 2024
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Monday morning saw flights grounded at Auckland Airport due to severe fog, and unsettled weather was expected to continue for at least the first part of the working week.
A strong wind watch is in place for Wellington, while in parts of the South Island, wind watches, orange strong wind warnings, heavy rain watches and warnings have been issued.
"We advise people to keep up to date with the latest forecasts, as spring weather is notoriously changeable," Bakker said.
"Thunderstorms are also possible for parts of the South Island, and also coastal Taranaki to northern Wellington on Tuesday."
Meanwhile, a temperature drop is expected on Wednesday and Thursday - particularly in eastern areas, MetService said.
"Looking further ahead, a ridge over the Tasman Sea starts to extend over Aotearoa New Zealand on Wednesday, driving away most of the poor weather and lowering overnight temperatures. Frosts will be possible in parts of the South Island and inland North Island, along with snow for higher passes."
But any stop the wind and rain is short-lived, with more expected this weekend, MetService said.
Watches and warnings:
- Orange heavy rain warning for Canterbury Headwaters, south of Arthur's Pass, from 11pm Monday until 11am Tuesday
- Orange strong wind warning for Canterbury High Country from 6pm Monday until 8am Tuesday
- Heavy rain watch for ranges of Westland from 10pm Monday until 12pm Tuesday
- Heavy rain watch for Otago Headwaters from 8pm Monday until 8am Tuesday
- Strong wind watch for Wellington and Wairarapa, south of Carterton, from 6am Tuesday until 4pm.
- Strong wind watch for Fiordland and Southland, including Stewart Island and inland Otago from 6pm Monday until 5am Tuesday
