The MetService rain radar in the central North Island area on Friday 7 February 2025. Photo: MetService
Fire crews are out in Taupō as they respond to flooding and vegetation fires caused by thunderstorms.
A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said crews had responded to two-dozen calls in Taupō in the two hours up until about 7.30pm.
That included 18 flooding calls and six fires caused by lightning strikes.
But he said the storm had moved on and the situation had calmed down.
The Mayor of Taupō said crews are out dealing with slips and power outages.
Mayor David Trewavas said the storm has passed and floods have drained quickly, but a number of residents throughout the district are without power.
He said the recovery is likely to continue throughout the weekend.
Fire crews have extinguished four of the vegetation fires, with two remaining.
In a social media post Taupō District Council said thunderstorms and heavy rain were hitting Taupō and warned it could cause flash flooding.
There were reports that Ngamotu Road was closed between Henry Hill Road and Gillies Avenue as a power line had come down and people should avoid the area if possible, it said.
It warned motorists to stay at home if possible, but if they had to be on the road to drive to the conditions and keep their headlights on.
MetService has forecast scattered heavy showers and thunderstorms in the central North Island region from 2pm until 8pm.
Watches that were in place for many regions in the central North Island have now been lifted.
MetService earlier said some thunderstorms might be slow moving and produce localised downpours of up to 40mm of rainfall.
2pm Radar Update
— MetService (@MetService) February 7, 2025
Thunderstorms have popped up over the central North Island with lightning strikes⚡️
A Severe thunderstorm Watch is in place until 8pm
See more details at https://t.co/qHyE5zzql5 pic.twitter.com/aCpNc7tOmp
It said driving conditions may be hazardous, with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain.
On Friday afternoon, MetService meteorologist John Law said thunderstorms could bring the risk of downpours of 35-40mm to some of the central regions.
"Remember these are a watch which really shows these are the areas where all the ingredients are coming together, you've got the moisture, you've got the rising air, you've got the potential for some severe thunderstorms.
"If we find a severe thunderstorm forming we issue a severe thunderstorm warning which tracks that individual cell and shows where it's heading."
Meanwhile, New Zealand avoided extreme temperatures seen globally for the month of January, but National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) principal scientist Chris Brandolino says that should change in the coming months.
Last month was the world's warmest on record, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
There was a 1.75 degrees Celsius increase globally, but regional variants meant New Zealand instead had its coldest January since 2017.
