A strong wind watch remains in place for the Bay of Plenty this morning.

The MetService is forecasting southeast winds to approach severe gales in exposed places today.

Rain is also expected to develop late in the morning, and possibly turning heavy in the evening.

Further south, residents are still dealing with the aftermath of severe gales on Sunday.

Power has been restored to most of Southland after widespread outages. Nearly 30 areas across the two regions have had power cuts throughout the day

Severe wind across the region caused damage to powerlines, and crews have been working to repair the issues all Sunday afternoon.

Only a few suburbs in Invercargill remained without power at 11pm. But power is expected to be back on this morning.

The strongest wind on Sunday - 127km/h - was recorded inland at Clarks Junction.

Bluff had the worst of the damage, with several roofs ripped off houses.

A number of shipping containers also toppled over at the port.

MetService says the far south bore the brunt of the showers and wind, with gusts of 115 kilometres an hour recorded at Invercargill today.

Trees were down across the region.

Two flights out of Invercargill this afternoon were cancelled and extra care was needed on State Highway 87 between Mosgiel and Kyeburn and State Highway One from Waitaki Bridge to Clinton.

The Cardrona and Treble Cone ski fields were closed due to gale force winds.

Waka Kotahi is urging drivers across the country to watch for snow, with warnings in place for Porters Pass, Lewis Pass, and State Highway 1 between Dunedin and Waitata.

North Island drivers are also urged to take care with snow on the Desert and Napier-Taupō roads.

On Monday, heavy rain and strong to gale northeasterlies are forecast to move onto the upper North Island.

A heavy rain watch will be in place for Northland, still reeling from last month's storm in the Far North.

Snow showers are possible on Arthur's Pass over the 12 hours from 3am this morning, and snow is expected to accumulate on parts of the Milford Road overnight.

A heavy snow watch is in place for Gisborne, Hawke's Bay and Taupo, from Matawai to the Kaimanawa and Kaweka Forest Park, for 6 hours from 8pm Monday.

-RNZ.