The North Island is likely to get some heavy rain throughout the remainder of the weekend, as well as some windy conditions and even thunderstorms, as school holidays draw to a close.

According to MetService, parts of the North Island can expect bad weather from as early as 6am on Sunday.

A front is expected to move eastwards across the top of the North Island on Saturday evening, bringing with it a low risk of isolated thunderstorms.

That risk increases to moderate heading into Sunday morning.

“The thunderstorms, if they occur, have the potential to bring localised heavy rain with intensities of 10 to 25mm/h and hail 5 to 15mm in diameter,” says a MetService spokesperson.

A heavy rain watch has been put in place for the Wairoa District, as well as Tairawhiti/Gisborne, on Sunday morning.

On Sunday, there’s a low risk of thunderstorms in these regions, that, if they develop, could become severe, MetService says.

“Rainfall amounts may approach warning criteria, especially about the ranges.”

Northland and Bay of Plenty are in for a spell of bad weather as well, with a strong wind watch being placed on the regions.

The winds may approach severe gales in exposed places, says MetService.

“A front embedded within a complex trough is expected to affect the North Island from Sunday into Monday morning.”

Much of the country is experiencing a rainy and cold end to the school holidays, with Saturday and Sunday likely to be bleak on the weather front.

The North Island generally gets the worst of the rain on Saturday, according to MetService, with Kaitaia, Whangārei and Auckland experiencing isolated showers.

It’s cold in the capital, dropping to 10C in Wellington before midday, but much of the rain was over by the morning.

Much of the same story moving down into the South Island, with Christchurch and Timaru sitting just below 10C.

A west to southwest flow will predominate over New Zealand from Monday to Thursday with embedded fronts moving north over the country at times.

The westerly flow is expected to strengthen for a time on Monday and early Tuesday, then again during Wednesday and Thursday.

A Severe Weather Watch for possible severe southeast gales about eastern Bay of Plenty extends into Monday morning, and there is consequently low confidence of severe gale in area on Monday morning.

There is moderate confidence that west and/or southwest winds will reach severe gale about southern Fiordland, Southland and southern Otago (especially near the coast) for a time on Monday and early Tuesday, than again on Wednesday and Thursday morning.

There is low confidence that westerly winds could reach severe gale about exposed parts of Hawke's Bay and northern Wairarapa (including the Tararua District) late Monday and Tuesday morning, then again later Wednesday and Thursday (with the strongest winds more likely during the second period).

There is also low confidence of westerly winds reaching severe gale about exposed parts of Tasman/Nelson, inland Marlborough, Canterbury and other parts of Otago and Fiordland for a time on Wednesday and Thursday.

Finally, there is low confidence that rainfall amounts could reach warning criteria about Fiordland on Wednesday and Thursday morning.