Severe thunderstorm, heavy rain watches for parts of North Island

Severe thunderstorm and heavy rain watches are in place for around half of the North Island.It follows storms in Auckland and Canterbury on Friday and Saturday.MetService issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Far North before 7am on Monday - but has since lapsed.Meanwhile, severe thunderstorm watches are in place for Northland, Auckland and Great Barrier Island.Northland's watch is in place until 9pm while the watch for Auckland and Great Barrier is in place from 11am until 9pm on Monday."There is a moderate risk of severe thunderstorms with localised downpours (25 to 40 mm per hour) over Auckland and Great Barrier Island from late morning until this evening," MetService said."Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips."Driving conditions will also be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain."Heavy rain watches have also been put in place across Waikato, Waitomo, Taupo, Taranaki, Taumarunui and Tongariro National Park, Bay of Plenty west of Edgecumbe, Coromandel Peninsula, Auckland, Great Barrier Island and Northland.In most regions the watches will be active from very early on Tuesday morning and last till early on Wednesday morning.Northland's heavy rain watch starts earlier from 9pm Monday and goes until 10pm Tuesday.There was a moderate chance in all regions that the heavy rain watches would turn into warnings.