Heavy rain and strong winds are set to sweep up the county from Friday, bringing a wet end to the first week of the school holidays.
MetService said a front would move onto the South Island overnight before tracking north across the country over the weekend.
A Heavy Rain Watch was in place for Fiordland north of Doubtful Sound, while a Strong Wind Watch was in place for Southland, Clutha, Dunedin, Central Otago, and the Southern Lakes.
Northwesterly winds could also approach severe gales in exposed places, the forecaster said.
"The front moving onto the South Island brings a pause to the relatively settled weather we've been experiencing this week, with strong winds for southern parts of the South Island on Friday morning and heavy rain for Fiordland," said MetService meteorologist Maddy Neal.
Warmth before temperatures tumble
Most of the country was expected to have a relatively dry start to Friday, with temperatures reaching the low 20s in eastern areas as northwesterly winds strengthened.
However, temperatures were forecast to fall sharply behind the front. MetService said areas reaching the low 20s on Friday could struggle to make the high teens over the weekend.
Rain was expected across much of the South Island from Friday afternoon into Saturday, before conditions would clear for a mostly dry Sunday.
The front would then reach the lower North Island on Saturday morning, bringing a damp start to the weekend, before moving over Auckland and Northland on Sunday.
Cooler-than-average mornings were also forecast across much of the North Island as the front moved in.
“If you’re planning on taking the kids outside, pack a rain jacket and an extra layer,” Neal advised.
Conditions were then expected to improve for much of the country by Sunday afternoon, with a ridge of high pressure bringing more settled weather for the beginning of the second week of the school holidays.
Full list of current weather watches:
Heavy Rain Watch
Fiordland north of Doubtful Sound – 8 hours from 7am to 3pm Friday
Strong Wind Watch
Southland, Clutha, Dunedin, Central Otago and the Southern Lakes – 9 hours from 3am to noon Friday
Both watches had a moderate chance of upgrading to a warning, MetService said.
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