Despite the severe weather touching down this afternoon, Bay of Plenty regional Civil Defence group public information manager Lisa Glass says Cyclone Gabrielle will "arrive overnight".

"Gabrielle has not hit us yet. We anticipate it to arrive overnight tonight," says Lisa.

Bay of Plenty Civil Defence covers the regions from Waihī beach to east of Ōpōtiki and inland to include Rotorua.

"This event could see strong and unusual coastal inundation/storm surges as well as the more usual effects of rainfall and high winds.

"Much of our region has coastal communities and several of these are at potential risk.

"We have activated our Group Emergency Coordination Centre (the regional CDEM centre) and many local councils have activated their local Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs), are actively monitoring the event and planning to act if and when required.

"Based on what we are seeing further north, we are anticipating potential flooding and evacuations, power outages, ,road blockages and slips.

"Our main message is for people to do whatever they need to do to stay safe. For most people that means staying put. For some, it may mean self-evacuating. If you don't feel safe, don't wait for official evacuation advice.

"We are also encouraging people to make plans for power losses."

For tips on what to do during a power cut, the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence recommends visting their Facebook page.