Weather: Heavy rain watch and gales up to 130km/h for central North Island

Metservice warns New Zealand of two "significant" weather events to touch the country's skies this week. Photo / Alex Burton

A wet, windy week is in order for much of the country with two “significant” weather systems set to sweep through from tomorrow.

MetService has warned the first front will hit on Monday, bringing heavy rain watches and severe gale warnings across the lower North Island and South Island that will last until Tuesday afternoon in some areas.

Gusts of up to 130km/h are forecast for the Canterbury High Country, the foothills of the Canterbury Plains, Wellington, Wairarapa and the Tararua Range.

Damage to trees, powerlines and unsecured structures is possible, MetService has warned. Driving may also be difficult in these areas, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.

MetService said the heaviest rain through Tuesday will drench the western side of the Southern Alps, which will spill over into Canterbury’s headwaters and Otago’s lakes and rivers.

A heavy rain watch has also been issued for the headwaters of the Otago lakes and rivers for Monday. Streams, rivers and headwaters may rise rapidly and surface flooding, slips and difficult driving conditions should be planned for in the case of heavy rain.

The headwaters of Canterbury’s lakes and rivers also have a heavy rain watch warning from tomorrow untill Tuesday morning.

Otago and Marlborough also face a heavy rain watch, with winds near 120km/h expected from Monday afternoon.

A heavy rain watch is also in place for the Tararua Range until midnight tonight.

A continuation of the northwesterly winds will bring more warm, wet weather to the North Island later on Tuesday, with the highest totals expected across the western-facing mountains of the Central Plateau and Bay of Plenty.

But an even “more impactful weather system” will arrive on Thursday, Metservice warns, as a deep low-pressure system is expected to drive cold southwesterlies across the South and Central North Island.

The system is expected to move over the North Island on Friday, along with some wet and windy weather.

Temperatures over the week will also fluctuate, with Hastings seeing up to 29C on Thursday and Auckland and Coromandel up to 23C.