A warning is in place for the Canterbury High Country, where severe gales with gusts up to 130km/h were forecast and would not ease until 5pm today.
In addition, wind watches have been issued for Fiordland, inland Southland and Clutha, Queenstown Lakes and Otago from 9am on Saturday until 4am on Sunday, and for the Canterbury Plains, Christchurch, Banks Peninsula until 5pm on Saturday.
MetService said people should secure items that could be picked up by strong winds, and take into account that driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.
Snow showers for alpine passes
The Milford Road (State Highway 94) was closed from East Gate (Hollyford) to Donne River (Westgate) overnight but reopened by 10am today.
The avalanche hazard risk level was changed to low about 2pm, but the road in Southland would close again about 5pm, the Milford Road Alliance advised.
MetService said rain should turn to showers and from about 2pm fall as snow near the Homer Tunnel, where 1 to 3cm may settle on the road.
During the evening and overnight, snow showers will likely continue to affect the road until the early hours of Sunday morning, with a further 2cm to 4cm expected to settle near the tunnel, and lesser amounts down to 700 metres.
The road was expected to reopen early on Sunday morning after clearing work.
Rain was also forecast for Sunday and Monday, with snow about the tunnel on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, snow showers were also forecast to affect higher parts of the Crown Range Road, linking Queenstown and Wānaka, from 5pm today until the early hours of Sunday morning, MetService said. Up to 1cm may accumulate above about 900 metres.
Heavy rain
Meteorologist John Law said there would be unsettled weather as a front moved up the country on Saturday, also bringing some heavy rainfall towards the western facing coast and stronger winds.
"By the end of the day that wet weather and those stronger winds transfers towards the North Island as well," he said..
In the South Island, there will be rain in the south and the west, which may be heavy on Saturday, but was expected to clear in southern Westland, Otago and Canterbury later in the day.
More showers were expected in the south and west of the South Island on Sunday, but it was expected to be mainly fine elsewhere.
Law said the front was expected to move through fairly quickly and it was expected to clear by Sunday with more settled weather but cooler temperatures.
There would still likely be showers in the southern part of the South Island tomorrow.
- RNZ and ODT Online
