A front moving up the country tonight and tomorrow is bringing rain and thunderstorms to the south.
A front is expected to move rapidly north across the lower and central South Island today, preceded by unstable westerlies.
It brings with it a risk of thunderstorms over coastal Southland, Fiordland and Westland, which may produce brief heavy rain, hail and strong winds.
The thunderstorm risk also extends over inland Southland, parts of Otago and Canterbury near the Alps and about the coast up to about Banks Peninsula, also Buller and western Nelson - but thunderstorm activity is set to ease as the front progresses further north.
Some precipitation is expected with the front, mainly for the west, while eastern areas will stay mostly dry. Some brief showers are possible though.
