150kmh wind warning for Wairarapa

Gale winds of up to 150kmh could hammer some parts of Wairarapa over the coming 24 hours.

Chris Noble, MetService severe weather forecaster, said a front was expected to move over much of the South Island tonight before sweeping quickly across the North Island tomorrow morning.

He said heavy rain in the west and strong or gale northwesterlies were expected in eastern areas ahead of the front, and westerly gales are predicted to hit northern Wairarapa tomorrow in the wake of the fast-moving weather system.

Northwesterly gales were expected to be severe in exposed places in Wairarapa tonight, he said, with gusts reaching

up to 130kmh.

Mr Noble said gusts could reach up to 150kmh in more elevated Wairarapa locations, including the Rimutaka summit and Castlepoint beach.

He said the high winds ``could damage trees and powerlines and make driving hazardous'', but were expected to ease in southern Wairarapa and Wellington from about 6am tomorrow morning.

However, westerly gales behind the front could still be severe through to tomorrow night in northern Wairarapa and central Hawkes Bay, he said.

Forecaster Stephen Glassey said the highest wind speeds recorded at Castlepoint over the past two months included gusts of 137 kmh and 139 kmh on October 5 and September 7 respectively.

The highest wind speeds recorded on the Rimutaka Summit over the same period included gusts of 122 kmh and 172

kmh on October 5 and September 8 respectively.

Chief forecaster Peter Kreft said the strong westerly weather pattern is expected ``to blow itself out'' over Labour Weekend.

"The holiday weekend should get off to an unsettled start, with wet and windy weather finding its way into many places on Saturday as a trough rattles across the country," Mr Kreft said.

"However, things should settle right down for most during Sunday, as the strong westerlies gradually leave us.''

Mr Kreft said Monday is expected to be dry for most areas in the morning but rain is possible in northern and western areas of the North Island late in the day.