Christchurch has seen its hottest June temperature on record, hitting 25.1 C at 2pm today, as northwesterly winds buffet the South Island and lower North Island.
Gusts of more than 120km/h have been recorded in Canterbury today, MetService said.
MetService is warning of heavy rain and strong winds this afternoon and overnight.
MetService updated its forecast this morning to pull back the times for when it expects the wind and rain to abate, with the South Island all clear by 1am Sunday and the lower North Island by 5am Sunday.
Flooding forced the closure of State Highway 6 between Haast and Makarora earlier. This has since reopened, with NZTA advising drivers to be wary of remaining surface water.
The highway was also closed between Rapahoe and Nine Mile in the Grey District due to a slip. This has since reopened, with NZTA advising drivers to expect delays as the road remained under stop/go control.
All warnings are expected to lift by the early hours of Sunday, with the MetService forecasting only scattered rainfall for the Winter Solstice.
A front preceded by a strong northwest flow is the culprit. MetService expects it to move over southern and central New Zealand today and into Sunday.
Areas covered by an orange strong wind warning are:
Areas covered by an orange heavy rain warning include:
Heavy rain watches are in place for:
Strong wind watches are in place for: