MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm watch until 4pm for these areas, warning the storm brings with it the risk of heavy rain, squalls and tornadoes.
“Thunderstorms within this line have the potential to become SEVERE and produce damaging wind squalls of 120 km/h or possibly a small tornado,” MetService warned.
“Wind gusts of this strength can cause some structural damage, including trees and power lines, and may make driving hazardous. If any tornadoes occur, they will only affect very localised areas.”
The latest radar image shows the rainband along the front approaching Auckland.
“Heads up Aucklanders. A long band of rain then showers is close by as a front approaches from the west,” MetService said on Twitter.
Auckland was struck by a deadly tornado last month which killed a worker in the Ports of Auckland’s south Auckland freight hub in Wiri.
This tornado caused significant damage in the area, with photos from the scene showing fences knocked over, tiles blown off roofs, trees uprooted and powerlines down.
