While most of the country is forecast to experience northwest gales before a southerly blast today, the MetService expects the Bay to be "fairly sheltered".

Strong southwesterlies over New Zealand are the hangover from a busy weather weekend, but the frontal system which brought significant rain is now moving away from the country, the MetService said in an earlier statement.

Southerly winds are expected to turn to the west on Sunday. File photo.

A potent cold front is racing up the country today, spearheaded by a period of gale southerlies affecting eastern regions of both islands and the capital.

Heavy snow for Taupo and Taihape is being forecast for today.

Strong cold southerly change today. Here's the forecast chart for midnight Wednesday https://t.co/hnwmGxU1gR ^PL pic.twitter.com/LCEBI1Dce4

— MetService (@MetService) September 6, 2016

But it's not all dire straits with MetService meteorologist Peter Little expecting the Bay to be fairly well sheltered from the severe weather.

'There will be the odd shower today and again tomorrow morning but it's essentially going to be fairly fine, clear weather. People will notice a bit more of a chill in the air with that southerly.

'The temperatures will be colder than you have experienced before, like tomorrow and Friday you are only going for about 14 degrees,” says Peter.

'It looks like it warms up in the weekend. It looks like the winds are dying away at the weekend.”

A bit more of a westerly could develop on Sunday, but otherwise it looks like good weather for the weekend at this stage.

Peter says it will be warmer in the weekend than it will be in the next couple of days as the southerly dies away.

'We have a ridge of high pressure coming in from the Tasman and that brings settled weather for much of the country for the weekend.”