Southerners will have to hold on to their hats over the weekend as potentially damaging winds batter the region.

MetService on Friday morning issued a raft of severe weather alerts covering much of the South Island.

Among these is an orange strong wind warning for Southland, from 4am to 4pm on Sunday, and a strong wind watch for Dunedin and Clutha, from 6am to 6pm on Sunday.

MetService says a couple of fronts, embedded in a strong and moist northwest flow, will move over New Zealand this weekend, followed by a change to strong, colder southwesterlies on Sunday.

"Heavy rain is expected for western areas of the South Island from Saturday, and severe west to northwest gales are likely to affect many areas on Sunday. Snow is also expected to affect higher roads in the South Island on Sunday.” 

In Southland, MetService says severe gale westerlies could gust up to 120kmh in exposed places, while for Dunedin and Clutha “west to southwest winds may approach severe gale in exposed places”, with a “high chance” of upgrading to a warning.

The agency said the winds could cause damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures.

"Driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.”

Further north there are also strong wind warnings for the Canterbury high country, and heavy rain watches for the headwaters of the Canterbury lakes and rivers, and for the Westland ranges. 

— Allied Media