South Islanders are being told to brace for heavy rain and strong winds this weekend.
A front over the Tasman Sea is forecast to approach the South Island late on Sunday before strong northwesterly winds and rain arrive, MetService said.
Heavy rain is forecast for Fiordland and southern Westland. Some places, including southern Fiordland, western Southland and Stewart Island, could receive severe gale northwest winds.
"Rainfall on Saturday isn't much for most places but cloudy and showery weather may linger for some as this slow weak system falls apart," said WeatherWatch.
"Westerlies kick in for southern NZ later on [Sunday] and then slide northwards for the start of next week, which may be windy for many regions for a few days (thanks to a storm in the Southern Ocean) - before more high pressure from Australia comes in later next week."
People higher up the country should also watch out for severe weather from Monday, MetService said, with a second front approaching Fiordland late in the day.
"There is low confidence of rainfall reaching warning amounts about Fiordland and the ranges of Westland, with spillover into the headwaters of the Otago and Canterbury lakes and rivers with the first front during the morning, then low confidence again for Fiordland later in the day with the second front," the forecaster said in its severe weather outlook. "There is moderate confidence that northwest winds could reach severe gale about exposed parts of Canterbury High Country, inland Otago, Southland (including Stewart Island) and parts of Fiordland, while there is low confidence of severe west or northwest gales in exposed parts of the Tararua District and northern Wairarapa."
