Windy weather will spread up the South Island and lower North Island over the next couple of days as the isobars scrunch up between a high in the north and a low in the south.

Gale force winds are likely in exposed eastern and southern parts of the South Island and lower North Island on Saturday.

In today’s Severe Weather Outlook MetService says there’s a moderate chance of severe gales over Southland, Otago and Canterbury.

Gale force winds are also likely to affect Wellington and Cook Strait.  It’s unclear if winds will be strong enough to cause delays with ferry crossings, but at this stage severe gales aren’t being predicted by MetService.