Rough weather on the way for Wellington, parts of South Island

Parts of New Zealand could be in for some rough weather in the next 24 hours, including heavy rain for the West Coast and strong winds for Wellington, Clutha, Southland and Canterbury.

MetService says an active front will bring brief, heavy rain to the west coast of the South Island, including the ranges of Westland from Otira northwards and the Buller ranges, and also for the Tararua ranges in the lower North Island today.

A number of severe weather watches have been issued for heavy rain and strong winds. Details at https://t.co/qHyE5zhh6X
^Tui pic.twitter.com/PwKhtmUds8

— MetService (@MetService) January 22, 2021

There will be periods of heavy rain up until about 10pm. Rainfall amounts may approach warning criteria.

Gale force northwest winds are also likely for Wellington and Wairarapa southwards, including the Canterbury High Country.

High winds approaching gale-force are expected for coastal Clutha south to Owaka, and coastal Southland including Stewart Island on Sunday.

However, a heavy rain watch has been lifted for Fiordland, and a strong wind watch has been lifted for Southland and Fiordland.

🌡 Hot in Canterbury this week! ☀Enjoy the sun 😎 because a cooler change comes through the a couple of days later... 🌬 And by cooler I mean 15°C cooler!
Details at https://t.co/Yjbq0jxdqz
^Tui pic.twitter.com/Kv5Wgp2VNn

— MetService (@MetService) January 22, 2021

- With RNZ