Keep those rain coats and umbrellas handy today as the MetService has issued a severe weather watch for the Coromandel Peninsula this morning.

Heavy rain and unsettled weather is expected over New Zealand for the coming week, with a series of troughs moving across the country.

Fronts over the South Island are starting to move north this morning but then expected to combine and become slow-moving over eastern Bay of Plenty tonight. This combined front may then move back onto the central North Island late Wednesday.

The MetService says this watch is for the possibility of heavy rain reaching warning criteria in the Coromandel.

'As the frontal features pass over the area this evening and Wednesday morning, there is a possibility of downpours.

'There is a chance that the front could stall for a few hours and rainfall amounts could approach short duration warning criteria (greater than 50mm in 6 hours) in some localised areas on the Peninsula.”

The MetService is advised Coromandel locals to keep up to date with the latest forecasts as it is possible that parts of this watch could be upgraded to a full warning.

A severe weather warning is issued whenever there is an expectation that widespread rainfall will be greater than 50 mm within six hours, or 100 mm within 24 hours.

Warnings are also issued if widespread severe gales reach a minimum speed of 90 km/hr or frequent gusts exceeding 110 km/hr.