Your weather: Gusty winds and grey skies to wind up the weekend

Gusty winds were expected over much of the country on Sunday. Photo / Andrew Warner

Punters out to celebrate Guy Fawkes early this year could be battling the elements, with wild winds and showers plaguing the country for the rest of the weekend.

Strong northwesterly winds that have been felt over most of the country on Saturday will continue into Sunday, though will turn into southwesterlies later in the morning.

Much of the North Island was also in for a dousing of rain on Sunday morning - though this looked set to clear by the afternoon.

Spots up the top of the island like Whangarei and Auckland could expect fairly balmy temperatures, sitting around 20C.

Gusty winds could add a dangerous element to any fireworks-related fun - though were expected to ease heading into the evening.

🌬️ One of the windiest weekends in a while is shaping up for Aotearoa!

Check the animation to see when it will be gustiest at your place 💨 pic.twitter.com/GGji4DRcrt

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) November 2, 2018

Further down the island, spots in the Hawke's Bay like Napier and Hastings were in for temperatures around 21C.

The sun would peek through a blanket of cloud on occasion, and the area looked likely to be clear from any sprinklings of rain.

On the West Coast, New Plymouth was a little colder, with the chance of rain and strong westerly winds.

A similar theme was going on for Wellington's forecast - though the city was, typically, in for stronger winds than most.

Winds could get up to 120km/h in exposed places.

There was a mixed bag for the forecast in the South Island.

Spots further north like Blenheim and Nelson could expect to enjoy a bit of vitamin D - with sunny weather and temperatures sitting around 19C.

Happening Now: Spring is all about winter fading away and hints of summer coming in. That explains why right now parts of #Christchurch have reached 30 degrees (like #summer!) while the #WestCoast is low teens (more like #winter).

Live observations here: https://t.co/KfLmL0LcR0 pic.twitter.com/WogiEzjkVj

— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) November 3, 2018

Christchurch was in for afternoon showers, and rain was expected to get heavier in areas like Queenstown and Dunedin.

MetService meteorologist Brian Mercer told the Herald Canterbury, Wellington, Wairarapa and the Marlborough Sounds are in the firing line.

Strong or severe weather was expected over much of the South Island on Sunday, with a number of watches or warnings in place.

"We could get gusts up to around 120km/h in exposed places from Saturday morning 11am until 1am on Sunday," he said.

The official day to celebrate Guy Fawkes falls on Monday, though many punters could be planning early celebrations to coincide with the weekend. Photo / Duncan Brown