Severe gales and heavy rain are expected to hit the headwaters of Otago and Southland’s lakes and rivers on Saturday, a MetService forecast shows.
A large high over New Zealand is expected to move slowly east on Friday and a northerly flow is forecast to strengthen over the lower South Island ahead of an approaching front later in the day.
The front should move northeast over the South Island on Saturday, bringing rain to many areas. It is followed by a trough and cold south-to-southwesterly winds.
A MetService spokesman said there was “moderate confidence” that north-to-northwest gales could become severe on Saturday in Fiordland and the Southern Lakes.
There was also moderate confidence of warning amounts of rain in Fiordland and the headwaters of Otago lakes and rivers, and high confidence of warning amounts of rain about the ranges of Westland and the headwaters of the Canterbury lakes and rivers.
