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As 85km/h winds lash Auckland, the Auckland Harbour Bridge faces potential closure as the severe weather that battered the South Island continues its march north. 

Damaging winds flipped a truck and heavy rain caused flooding in the south yesterday, with conditions expected to improve for many today. 

MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris told the Herald the North Island is where the brunt of the weather system is travelling. 

“The intensity is forecast to drop off a little bit. So we wouldn’t be expecting as much risk of thunderstorms or prolonged, heavy rain,” Ferris said. 

There will be a burst of rain for most people around the North Island, he said. 

Blustery day for Auckland 

Ferris said it was looking to be a blustery day for Auckland, with wind gusts of around 60km/h expected around most of the city. 

“It’ll be a noticeably windy day, but again, it’s not the type of wind that should be causing too much in the way of disruption.” 

Strong wind and waves on Curran St, Auckland. Photo / Sylvie Whinray 

He said the wet weather sets in from the middle of the day and might even hold on for the evening commute. 

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) said winds may impact the Auckland Harbour Bridge, with some gusts of 85km/h set to hit between 9am and 2pm. 

To ensure safety, the bridge will only have four lanes open in each direction for the morning peak. 

Severe watches and warnings 

An orange heavy rain warning is in force today for the Tararua Range until 10am. 

An orange strong wind warning is in place until 6am in Wellington and until noon for Wairarapa and the Tararua District. 

Cooler air is on the way for the far south this morning, bringing the risk of snow for some alpine roads. 

Crown Range Rd and Milford Rd (SH94) are both under road snowfall warnings. 

A heavy swell warning remains in place until 9am for Kāpiti-Porirua Coast/Ōtaki to Cape Terawhiti. 

Northwest combined waves are expected to rise to 4-4.5m. 

The country will hold on to the warmer temperatures that we have already seen this week. 

“We had some parts of Canterbury get into the sort of mid-20s, but they’ll drop back a little bit,” Ferris said. 

“On Friday, we do have cooler air making its way up from the south. So the warmer temperatures aren’t exactly here to stay just yet.” 

Weekend weather 

Ferris said that broadly, the weather remains unsettled into the weekend. 

“This isn’t the only weather for this week. I think the underlying theme we’re trying to get to is that we’re in a period of unsettled weather, so don’t expect the weather to be sort of the same two days in a row,” he said. 

Ferris said a similar weather system looks to move over the country late on Saturday.