Heavy rain and snow has hit parts of the South Island, closing roads but there are no plans to evacuate - yet.
Metservice said the Canterbury region was hit hard by rain and it is expected to continue throughout today.
"A slow-moving low east of New Zealand continues to direct a moist easterly flow over the South Island, bringing heavy rain to Marlborough, Canterbury and North Otago. Warnings remain in force, and their validity periods have been extended into Monday," Metservie website says.
An orange heavy rain watch is in place for Eastern Marlborough south of Ward, and Canterbury about and north of Cheviot, while North Otago has a heavy rain watch.
Environment Canterbury (ECan) duty flood controller Shaun McCracken told Stuff there were no plans for any evacuations but he "certainly wouldn't rule it out".
Tekapo in the Mackenzie District of the South Island was blanketed in snow overnight and State Highway 8 between Fairlie to Lake Pukaki is closed.
NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll warns a low-pressure system is expected to bring rain to Canterbury and eastern Otago on Sunday.
This will lead to above-normal river flows, particularly around Arthur's Pass, while parts of the South Island could see a month's worth of rainfall.
"The forecast rainfall coming right into the likes of eastern Marlborough, into Canterbury, the foothill areas, into the Alps," Noll said in NIWA's Sunday weather outlook video.
"Quite heavy rainfall could be a month's worth of rainfall or more. We see that in eastern Otago as well, near and north of Dunedin."
Noll warns elevated areas around Dunedin and especially across Canterbury could see 50 to 100mm of rain.
"Some of these areas could see two-day rainfall totals that amount to about a month's worth of rain," Noll said.
Parts of the South Island could also see some snow on Sunday, with Noll saying the free-air freezing levels have increased to 1300-1500m.
"I think the heavier snow is going to be quite high up but there could be lesser amounts to around 1000m earlier in the day," he said.
Noll said winds will be blowing onshore in the eastern part of the South Island, which will be transporting all that moisture from the Pacific Ocean.
Kiwis should also pack an extra layer on Sunday, with Noll warning of chilly temperatures.
For the North Island, most places will see temperatures in the early teens, while in the southern half of the island, southerly winds will also drop the temperatures.
In the South Island, it'll also be a chilly day, with most places expected to see temperatures below 10C, according to Noll.
Weather warnings and watches
Weather warnings still remain in place for parts of the South Island, with MetService saying there could be over 100mm of rain in some areas.
An orange heavy rain warning is in place for Eastern Marlborough south of Ward and Canterbury about and north of Cheviot until 6am Sunday.
MetService warns this area should expect 120mm of rain and the warning could be extended with more rain anticipated on Sunday.
Heavy rain is also expected to lash Canterbury south of Cheviot, with the warning in place until 9pm on Sunday.
This area is expected to bare the brunt of the bad weather with 140mm of rain expected, falling at peak rates of 15mm/h on Sunday morning.
"Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous," MetService said.
A road snowfall warning is also in place for some of the South Island's most iconic roads until the early hours of Sunday morning.
The warning is in place for Lewis Pass (SH7), Arthur's Pass (SH73) and Porters Pass (SH73).
