A heavy rain watch is in place for areas west of Whakatāne, including Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato and Taupō, with periods of heavy rain, localised downpours and thunderstorms possible.
The watch is in place from noon today until 3am Thursday.
A strong wind watch is also in place for Bay of Plenty.
“The rain and strong winds are the result of a rapidly deepening area of low pressure forming off the eastern coast of Australia and crossing the country,” MetService meteorologist John Law said.
“With cold air rushing in behind this system, it’s going to be a much colder end to the week.”
Rotorua is facing a low of 0C during the weekend with a high of 10C, while Tauranga has a forecast low of 4C with a high of 13C.
