Auckland weather: Surface flooding near Harbour Bridge as heavy rain begins

Waka Kotahi is warning of surface flooding near Auckland’s Harbour Bridge as rain begins to pour down on the Super City this afternoon.

The left northbound lane on the north side of the Harbour Bridge had been forced to shut down due to the flooding, the transport agency said.

The lanes are now cleared, however, traffic is still slow-moving.

At 2pm today, MetService warned a band of rain from the East coast was moving across towards Auckland, which is responsible for the heavy downpours across Auckland.

“Grab your umbrellas or head inside,” MetService warned on social media.

On its website, MetService forecast the showers will be heavy and possibly thunder this evening.

Later in the week, on Thursday and Friday, Auckland may see severe gale-force winds as a fresh weather system tracks through, along with rain on the west coast.