The front that moved up the country over the weekend is lingering over the upper North Island, bringing scattered rain or showers to those north of Tauranga.

Further south, a ridge of high pressure is bringing a settled start to the week for many.

People in the South Island will already be seeing some high cloud, heralding the approach of the next front coming from the southwest.

The front was to reach the south of the country overnight, and northwesterly winds are expected to pick up ahead of it, with Fiordland, Southland and Clutha under severe weather watch for the possibility of severe gusts early Tuesday.

MetService has also continued its severe weather warning for heavy rain for Fiordland and southern Westland for Tuesday.

'Otago and Southland will also see a rainy day on Tuesday, as the front makes its way slowly northwards,” says MetService meteorologist Claire Flynn.

'We have a heavy rain watch out for the headwaters of the Otago Lakes and Rivers for Tuesday and early Wednesday, and there will be snow about some of the higher roads, such as the Crown Range Road and Lindis Pass. The Watch extends to the Canterbury Lakes and Rivers late on Tuesday.”

The front speeds up on Wednesday and makes its way across the rest of the country, bringing a brief period of rain to most places as it moves over.

'After the front moves through, settled weather is expected to return for most people by Thursday, and it may be a frosty start for some in the south,” says Claire.

'A low pressure system is developing towards the end of the week, meaning rain will return for many people. There is some uncertainty associated with the position of this low, so keep up to date with the forecasts.”