Strong winds and heavy rain are set to hit parts of the South Island tomorrow, including Canterbury, as some more heavy weather bears down on the country.
The MetService this morning issued heavy rain warnings for the headwaters of the Canterbury lakes and rivers south of Arthur's Pass, Fiordland and the West Coast, and strong wind warnings for many places, including the Canterbury High Country and the Southern Lakes area.
The forecaster says northwesterly gales could be severe in these areas at times, with gusts reaching 120 kmh, while Fiordland could expect 70mm to 90mm of rain.
There are is also a strong wind watch for Christchurch, the Canterbury Plains, North Otago and coastal Dunedin. And a heavy rain watch for the headwaters of the Otago lakes and rivers.
Weatherwatch.co,nz says rain will hit the West Coast again at the weekend and the combined rainfall accumulation could pass 200mm in some areas, likely to be Fiordland and the southern half of Westland.
Colder air will also see rain turn to snow in the mountains with heavy falls and up to one metre of snow possible between now and midnight Sunday.
