Heavy rain and severe gales are headed north to central New Zealand, reaching Auckland tomorrow afternoon, before a second hit in the North Island later this week.
Photo: 123RF
A front is expected to bring gale northwesterlies and heavy rain across the North Island before it clears the country on Tuesday.
Strong wind warnings are in place for State Highway 2 on the Remutuka Hill and also for State Highway 1 on the Desert Road between Waiouru and Rangipo.
Waka Kotahi says extra care is required on those roads, especially for high sided vehicles and motorcycles.
Winds topping 200km/h in some places which caused damage and power outages across Canterbury were expected to ease as the front moved north, MetService forecaster Lewis Ferris told Morning Report today.
"It's moving fast northwards, it's made it up around Buller, it's been very very active," he said.
"Winds are still very strong around Canterbury Plains and even into Christchurch so it would still be a good morning to be vigilant but know that it is easing throughout today."
MetService lifted its warnings for the South Island from Westland and Canterbury southwards to Fiordland as winds there eased.
State Highway 77 Mount Hutt, near the intersection with Wightmans Road, was closed earlier today while contractors cleared trees downed by strong winds overnight, but has since reopened.
SH94 Te Anau to Milford remains closed - with a high risk of an avalanche.
More snow is expected to fall overnight and Lower Hollyford Road is closed until further notice.
Ferris said the capital was in for some wind.
"We do have the orange warning currently out for winds in Wellington.
"It looks like this afternoon into evening hours we'll see the heavy rain from that front and then it makes it to Auckland by about midday tomorrow."
Wellington and Wairarapa could expect severe northwesterlies gusting up to 130km/h in exposed areas until about 6pm.
The heaviest rain was expected over the ranges of Buller, the Tararua Range and Mt Taranaki, while severe northwest gales were possible for Buller, Marlborough, western Nelson, Wellington, Wairarapa and inland Hawke's Bay.
Mt Taranaki was expected to see peak intensities of up to 30mm/h this evening with possible thunderstorms.
Second hit possible to end the week
MetService said the front would be followed later in the week by a low, which could bring further heavy rain and winds from the northwest of the North Island from Wednesday, affecting northern and eastern parts of the motu before heading south through the Wellington region and on to Kaikōura into Friday.
Winds would likely shift from northeast to easterly then southerly, but the forecaster noted uncertainty at this stage about whether the weather would reach warning levels.