Heavy rain and gales lash parts of New Zealand
Heavy rain and gale orange wind warnings are in place for parts of the country including much of the South Island and lower North Island.
MetService is forecasting heavy rain for the Tararua Range, the Buller and Westland ranges, Canterbury lakes and south of Lake Sumner, Otago lakes and rivers and Fiordland north of Doubtful Sound with up to 180 millimetres of rain expected in some places.
There are also strong wind warnings in place for Wairarapa and Tararua, Wellington, and Canterbury High Country with severe gale northwesterlies gusting at 120 kilometres an hour in exposed places.
MetService has issued yellow strong wind watches for Marlborough, Christchurch, Canterbury Plains, Queenstown Lakes, Central and North Otago and Dunedin.
Snow may also affect some of the higher South Island roads for a time on Thursday. [There is a Road Snowfall Warning for the Crown Range for 14hrs from 7am - 9pm Thursday, 18 September - LWB]
Wairarapa and the Tararua District have also been upgraded to an Orange Strong Wind Warning.
MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris told Nine to Noon a lot of the weather was focused in the South Island.
"Parts of Fiordland and Milford Sound have already seen about 130mm of rain. Twelve hours ago they saw 100mm of rain in six hours."
Ferris said that rain was moving its way up the West Coast.
"Plenty of strong north-westerly winds ahead of it. Already seen some big gusts around Canterbury High Country - even parts of Canterbury plains as well."
Ferris said the already blustery wind in Wellington would increase throughout Wednesday.
He said there didn't look to be any flood risks at present but there had been plenty of thunderstorms around Fiordland.
Ferris said there would be "embedded very heavy rain" within the thunderstorms and anyone driving should "take it easy".
"If you do hear that thunder it is best to head indoors and wait for until it passes.
"Tomorrow it looks like that front moves over the North Island."
However, he said the weather wouldn't be as severe by Thursday.
"It's a busy weather day but this is a pretty springy system so we shouldn't be too surprised to be seeing this weather around the country.
Meanwhile, Ferris said the country would get a brief respite and then a very similar system for the weekend.
Next week was also looking a bit unsettled, he said but MetService expected the weather to settle by October.
