More weather warnings have been issued this morning now spreading in to the North Island as a storm with Spring characteristics heads north.

14 weather warnings have been issued by government forecaster MetService predicting heavy rain for the entire West Coast and gales gusting to 120km/h in exposed eastern places from Southland to Manawatu and Wairarapa.

All current weather warnings can be found here.

As of 11:30am milder weather was spreading across the nation.  Temperatures are already in the mid teens across the upper and eastern parts of the North Island.

Gusty northerlies have developed around the lower North Island with gales now hitting exposed areas like State Highway 2 across the Rimutaka Ranges where winds are gusting close to 100km/h.

Despite the warnings in the South Island conditions remain relatively calm in most populated places.  Dunedin appears to be windiest centre with gusts only reaching 50km/h.