Rain is continuing to hammer the Bay of Plenty as a front moving into the northern half of the North Island intensifies.

According to the Te Puke weather station website, around 9.9mm of rain has already fallen this morning.

More heavy rain is expected in the Bay of Plenty today.

The website is predicting maximum rain rate of 18mm an hour today.

A severe weather warning remains in place for both the Western and Eastern Bay of Plenty.

The MetService forecasted heavy rain overnight to continue through today.

'The heaviest rain is expected about the ranges of eastern Bay of Plenty where a further 110mm of rain may accumlate before early Thursday afternoon, while between 50 and 80mm of rain could fall in a short time about parts of Northland, western Bay of Plenty, and the central North Island high country overnight,” says a statement from the weather organisation.

'Rainfall rates may reach 20-30mm/hr for an hour or two in these places.”

People in these areas are advised that this short duration heavy rain could cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly, and surface flooding and slips are possible.

Motorists are being asked to drive with caution with the potential for surface flooding and poor visibility on the roads.