Aftershocks continue to rattle Christchurch following this mornings devastating 7.1 earthquake and now weather warnings have been issued.

Damage is extensive across the city with power and water both out in the CBD.

To make matters worse a storm which is hammering southern Australia is now coming towards New Zealand with gales and heavy rain expected.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says that Sunday will see strong winds building across Christchurch with severe gales possible later in the day.

MetService is also watching the storm, issuing a severe gale warning for the city predicting winds averaging 65km/h (gale force) with gusts to 130km/h.

Winds of that speed can be damaging and with many buildings extensively damaged it could cause a major headache for emergency services.