Atmospheric instability due to the combination of a warm humid airmass in the north, and a cold front and upper cold trough moving northwards over central New Zealand.  

There's a moderate risk of thunderstorms for North Island locations with localised heavy rain of 10-25mm/h. There is also a low risk a few of the thunderstorms could be severe with localised downpours of 25-40mm/h (or possibly more). This risk may continue about eastern Bay of Plenty into the night.

In the bottom half of the North Island and parts of the South Island, thunderstorms bring localised heavy rain of 10-25mm/h and hail (especially to Hawke's Bay in the evening where hailstones up to 2cm diameter are possible).

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