Weather

Good news for Santa Claus and backyard barbecue lovers - Aotearoa weather is looking fine for Christmas day, forecasters say.

It may be starting to feel a lot like summer holidays, but pre-Christmas weather is still looking unpredictably stormy in much of the country today.

A Southland community is being warned to be prepared to evacuate their homes at lower river flows than they might have in the past.

Fire and Emergency is declaring a restricted fire season for the Coromandel from today.

Much of the North Island is on a severe thunderstorm watch, while the heaviest rainfall is due in parts of Hawke's Bay, Tararua District and Wairarapa.

A Central Otago community is in clean-up mode after a tornado tore through on Saturday night.

Residents and visitors to the Queenstown Lakes are encouraged to be wai wise this summer or they could face temporary water restrictions.

Humidity for the upper North Island is here to stay a little while longer - but there will be some relief during the night.

Residents, business owners and local authorities in South Australia, are bracing themselves for more flooding, as water levels rise along the Murray River.

A man who had his roof blown off during this yesterday's tornado in central Otago said he has no idea where it landed.

A tornado has ripped through central Otago, causing damage to a home and leaving glass shards dented in walls that look like bullets.

Warm temperatures and high humidity continues to linger over much of the country, with rain and humidity expected to continue over the coming days.

Beaches have been closed in holiday hotspots Whangamatā and Mt Maunganui due to "dangerous conditions" as pre-Christmas bad weather lashes the upper North Island.

Heavy rain has caused widespread flooding, causing multiple slips and closing multiple roads in Coromandel. Audio