A south-westerly wind change could bring damaging gusts to the North Island, across the day

There's a moderate risk of thunderstorms - from Waikato and parts of Bay of Plenty northwards.

Winds in Auckland, Great Barrier Island and Coromandel Peninsula this afternoon could reach 120 kilometres an hour.

MetService also has wind watches in Northland and Waikato.

Metereologist Sylvia Martino, says people should check items on their property are secure.

She says it's been a while since we've had winds from this direction so there's the possibility of trees coming down and power cuts.