Severe weather has made a noisy return to the Bay of Plenty, with thunderstorms lashing parts of the region and damaging winds recorded as an unsettled system pushes across much of Aotearoa.

MetService issued severe thunderstorm warnings for the Bay of Plenty on Monday morning.

While the most severe activity eased earlier in the day, bands of heavy showers remained, with lingering instability making for hit-and-miss conditions.

MetService meteorologists say this type of weather can be highly localised, meaning some communities may see little impact while others are hit by brief but intense rain and strong winds.

Cooler air settles in

For the Bay of Plenty, showers are expected to continue into Tuesday, though they are forecast to become less frequent and less intense as the week progresses.

The risk of further thunderstorms will also ease, but cooler southerly air moving up the country will leave a noticeable autumn chill across the region.

“People may already be feeling the temperature drop, and that cooler air will hang around through the rest of the week,” MetService says.

By Thursday, the influence of a ridge of high pressure should begin bringing more settled conditions to the North Island, with a calmer and brighter weekend on the cards for Bay of Plenty residents.