A blustery day is on the cards for the upper North Island as wild weather continues to hammer it.

A strong wind warning is in place for Northland today with southeast gales gusting 120km/h in exposed places, especially along the east coast.

MetService is warning the strong wind gusts could damage trees, powerlines and unsecured structures.

Motorists should also be on high alert as it could make driving dangerous especially for those in high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.

Strong wind watches for North Auckland and the Coromandel Peninsula are in place until at least 8pm tonight.

Northland has also had a heavy rain watch in place overnight which is expected to lift at 9am today.

MetService shift meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said rain was also likely to fall on the eastern parts of the North Island such as Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay.

“The area to keep an eye for today would be the Gisborne area. We could see a period of heavier rain later on this evening.”

Cloud is also hanging around Christchurch.

Makgabutlane said the weather looks set to improve for the rest of the week, but there will still be sporadic rain and showers in Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty.

It comes after heavy rain on Sunday and Monday put a dampener on Queen’s Birthday weekend for holiday goers in the upper North Island.

MetService will update its warning and watches later this morning.

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