Updated 5.22pm:Â Thunderstorms are rattling Auckland.
MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the region.
It said its radar has detected thunderstorms on the west coast - including Muriwai Beach, Helensville and Woodhill.
The storms are moving towards the southeast.
A narrow front coming off the Tasman Sea is set to hit the top of the North Island, with the brunt of the torrential rain and thunderstorms hitting between 4 and 6pm.
WeatherWatch's Philip Duncan says there's a risk of flooding in some areas.
"They're what we call localised downpours, which means not everybody gets it, but for those that do it can be severe. It can cause surface flooding or local flash flooding.
Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and Waikato will all be hit by the wet and stormy weather, with parts of the Bay of Plenty and Taranaki also at risk.
He says it's only the start of a blast of bad weather due to hit the region over the next few days.
"That's sort of phase one of a big low that's going to cross over the country over the next couple of days. It will bring another surge of heavy downpours and isolated thunderstorms."
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