A sudden bad weather caused by falling rain turning to ice turned parts of West Auckland white this after 12 a.m..

1 NEWS NOW readers have sent through surprising pictures and viewing part after roads and back yards were suddenly covered in decent-sized rain turned to ice stones. 1 NEWS weather presenter Dan Corbett said coming together sea winds came together west of Auckland near the Waitakere ranges, causing clouds to (make) get greater, stronger, more complete and grow.

An added upper level lowest part moving over the north of the North Island also had within some very cold air. “This helped to turn the air very changing and the warm air from the top Rose quite quickly, well up into the bad conditions and above the going solid by cold level,” he said.

“The small soft rain turned to ice then fell to the top in the very strong (great) rainband 1 of the bad conditions.” Laura-Rose Wiechern made prisoner the place from her house in Te 2 Atatu.

“It is like snow in Auckland,” she said. The system moved in the direction of the North support as it began to make more feeble.

Wild weather is expected to hit much of the North Island and the upper South Island, with winds over 140km/h predicted for some areas.

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) meteorologist Ben Noll said the east coast of both islands would bear the brunt of the blustering winds.

“Gisborne, Napier, north of Canterbury going to be a windy afternoon and evening and overnight, say, Wellington and then Auckland potentially windy as well.”

“Potentially the gustiest winds of the winter season so far coming across the Cook Strait from midnight tonight.”

MetService warned of severe winds up to 140km/h in Wellington, Wairarapa and the Marlborough Sounds possibly until Sunday afternoon.

Taranaki, Taihape, Whanganui, Manawatu, Horowhenua, the Kāpiti Coast were also warned of winds up to 120km/h through to Sunday, possible with severe gales until Sunday evening.

Mr Noll said the windy conditions should die down by Monday.

Sources: msn.com

It took crews more than 10 hours yesterday to rescue an Australian man who suffered leg injuries and mild hypothermia after he tried to climb to the summit of Mt Taranaki.The man, 22, made a solo attempt to climb to the summit yesterday, but decided to turn back near the feature on Mt Taranaki called the lizard.

Police say he descended in thick cloud and became lost in a rugged gorge, where he injured one of his legs on rocks.The man phoned for help at 4pm yesterday and was found at 9.45pm.Police say from that time it took 4.5 hours to get him off the mountain, from a height of 1650m.The rescue was hampered by rugged alpine terrain, thick cloud, rain and darkness.The low visibility meant crews could not use the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter to look for the man.He was taken to Taranaki Base Hospital by ambulance staff for treatment to his leg injuries and mild hypothermia.

A double whammy of heavy rain and gale force winds is about to hammer Auckland, Northland and the Coromandel.

A severe weather watch is in place, with the rough stuff expected to arrive from Monday evening.

Heavy winds and “persistent heavy rain” are expected overnight Monday and early Tuesday morning, MetService said.

The heavy rain will be accompanied by northeast gales, gusting up to 100kmh.

Auckland Transport has warned that heavy rain could cause flooding in low-lying areas such as Tamaki Drive, west of the Ngapipi Road intersection.

Auckland Harbourmaster Andrew Hayton said boaties should make sure their moorings were secure before the bad weather arrived.

“They should not go out once the sea and wind conditions deteriorate,” he said.

The severe weather watch also warns of heavy rain from Monday night through Tuesday morning in the Waikato.

Up to 140mm of rain is expected over 24 hours in the Kaimai Ranges from Monday afternoon, MetService warned.

Heavy falls were expected in other parts of the Waikato, with easterly gusts expected to strengthen into gales of up to 100kmh by evening.

“From 8pm this evening to midday Tuesday we’re expecting 80 to 100 millimetres of rain about the hills south of Hamilton, and 40-70mmm elsewhere in the region,” MetService meteorologist Emma Blades says.

The peak intensity of rain will be on Tuesday morning, where 10-15mm is expected per hour, she says.

In Raglan, a gale warning is in force, as a northwest low was set to send in swells of up to two metres.

Heavy falls were also expected in Taupo, northern Gisborne, and the eastern ranges.

In the south, heavy rain is likely to hit Marlborough and western Nelson from Monday afternoon.

Rain is forecast to become heavy from midnight Monday in western Nelson, with up to 140mm predicted in the 12 hours to midday Tuesday.

GALES IN THE SOUTH

MetService has issued a severe weather warning for severe southeast gales for Nelson, Buller and northern Westland, and heavy rain for western Nelson.

The strongest winds are forecast for Nelson west of about Motueka, Buller and northern Westland from about midnight tonight, where severe gales with gusts of 140 kmh are forecast, MetService says.

Gusts could possibly exceed 140kmh about western areas north of Westport.

Winds of this strength can damage structures, powerlines, and make driving dangerous.

Rain is forecast to become heavy from midnight Monday in western Nelson, with up to 140mm predicted in the 12 hours to midday Tuesday.

WET WINDY WEEK AHEAD

The fronts are associated with a deep low which will arrive on Tuesday, bringing wet and windy weather for much of the week.

The low is complex, MetService meteorologist Chelsea Glue says, and forecasts are likely to shift.

“It’s not just going to move away in one nice easy flow to the east,” she says.

A severe weather watch has also been issued for gale force winds across the central North Island and northern South Island.

Northeast gales are likely during Monday night and early Tuesday morning in the Waikato, Waitomo, Taumarunui, Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu, Horowhenua, and Kapiti Coast.

Severe gusts were also likely in the Marlborough Sounds, northern Westland, and western Nelson.

Wellington can expect patchy drizzle in the morning, but a mainly fine day with increasing high cloud, fresh southeasterly gusts, and a high of 11C. Rain will develop overnight.

A cloudy morning greets Christchurch with patchy drizzles, and a developing northeasterly. A high of 9C is expected.

Dunedin can expect a similar story to Christchurch, with patchy drizzle and a high of 8C.

MetService has issued a severe weather watch for Fiordland, Southland, Otago and Canterbury, with a “very cold southerly airstream” and snow expected on Saturday in several areas.

“The snow is likely to lower to sea level in Fiordland, Southland, Clutha and Otago during the morning and afternoon, and to near sea level in Canterbury in the afternoon and evening,” MetService said.

“Heavy snow” was expected above 500 metres, and snow accumulations could be substantial “down to 300m”.

This had potential to cause major disruptions to transport throughout those areas, cause distress to people or stock in exposed outdoor places, and could damage trees and bring down powerlines, MetService said.

A low over the Tasman Sea was expected to move across the North Island Saturday bringing unsettled weather with it.

On Sunday the “very cold air” would spread over the lower and central North Island.