Tropical deluge and big waves to hit the North Island, with the worst downpours during the Fifa Women’s World Cup opener

Aucklanders are being warned of a tropical deluge and possible monster waves with the worst of the weather coming during the opening game of the Fifa Women’s World Cup at Eden Park.

A hybrid low-pressure system will be making its way from the top of the North Island bringing heavy downpours, strong winds and potential flooding.

A heavy rain watch has been issued by MetService from 9pm tomorrow until 6am on Friday, which could potentially be upgraded to a warning.

“Aotearoa New Zealand will be ‘visited’ by the tropics later this week, but it won’t be as pleasant as it sounds,” Niwa meteorologist Ben Noll said.

“It will come in the form of a slow-moving, heavy rain and wind band for Northland, parts of Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula on Thursday night-Friday.”

Noll said big waves were possible, with the worst weather conditions looking to be along exposed areas in the east of the North Island.

“Surface flooding and some wind-related damage cannot be ruled out at this time,” Noll said.

The weather system, made up of one now sitting west of Tasmania and another by the Solomon Islands, will bring tropical moisture into the system.

It will hit the South Island today before reaching the North Island tomorrow, bringing with it wind, rain and even some snow.

The worst of the weather is expected to hit as the Football Ferns take on Norway in the opener of the Fifa Women’s World Cup at Eden Park, with rain forecasted to intensify two hours after kickoff.

MetService is forecasting the low to bring heavy rain to the West Coast and to Southland today, where heavy rain watches are in place for Fiordland and southern Westland.

A change to colder southeasterlies behind the front is expected to bring snow as low as 300m in parts of Southland and Otago from late today, while snow could be heavy in inland parts of Canterbury and Otago tomorrow.

The North Island will be in for a direct hit tomorrow, with a strong easterly flow across the island bringing wet weather to eastern and northern areas.

“Northland and Auckland in particular could be in line for some heavy rain on Thursday and Friday as the main rain band sets up shop in the north, but all regions exposed to the easterly winds will see rain of some kind before the week is out,” MetService said.

It warned that there could be periods of heavy rain where the amounts may approach warning criteria.

Philip Duncan, head weather analyst of Weatherwatch.co.nz, said a northwesterly airflow was lying over the country, keeping temperatures pretty mild.

“We have a few showers in the west and dry warm weather in the east. Temperatures will likely climb into the mid to late teens, not bad for mid-winter,” Duncan said.

Until late this afternoon that is, when a cold front moves in and “this signals a degradation in our weather that is to occur overnight and into Thursday”.

The front would bring heavy rain reaching Auckland and Coromandel later this evening or overnight, he said.

Rainfall of almost 40 millimetres is expected to hit Paihia and eastern Northland tomorrow.

“Heavy rain may move into the eastern North Island on Friday then on Saturday down into Marlborough and Canterbury,” Duncan said.

East to northeasterly winds strengthen ahead of this front with gales likely for coastal parts of the upper North Island from afternoon, especially for Northland and Auckland.

Southeasterly winds through central parts of New Zealand strengthen from afternoon also with gales likely for coastal areas like Golden Bay and the Marlborough Sounds.

Motorists are being advised to be mindful of the conditions.