Strong winds are already making themselves felt in the North Island

MetService has issued a strong wind watch in Whangarei, Auckland, Great Barrier Island and Coromandel.

Auckland's Harbour Bridge has been reduced down to two lanes in either direction.

Earlier this afternoon, more than 22-thousand PowerCo customers in Coromandel lost power, that's now fallen to 15-hundred.

MetService Metereologist John Law expects the worst of the gusts between 4 and 9pm.

He says it's possible they reach 90 to 100 kilometres an hour.