A raft of weather warnings remain across the North Island as more than three-thousand lightning strikes hit across the morning

Electrical storms were detected across parts of Taranaki and the central North Island, bringing warnings of hail, frequent lightning and torrential rain.

A low pressure system is bringing downpours of up to 40 millimetres of rain per hour in localised areas across Bay of Plenty, including Rotorua, and Gisborne.

MetService Meteorologist Michael Pawley says some of the fronts could cause damage.

He says it meets the criteria for warnings that could bring surface flooding and rising river waters.