Nearly 20,000 lightning strikes in 24 hours
‘‘These thunderstorms are expected to bring heavy rain, with heavy snow in the mountains, hail, strong wind gusts, with tornadoes possible about coastal areas.’’
MetService meteorologist Peter Little
New Zealand saw nearly 20,000 lightning strikes in the 24 hours to 8am, and MetService say there’s more to come with a severe thunderstorm watch for Waikato, Waitomo and Taumarunui.
The lightning strikes have already left around 10,000 west coast residents without power.
Buller Electricity said in a statement the whole of the Buller District from Karamea to Punakaiki was without power from about 9.15am.
‘‘Transpower have advised they have had a lightning strike to both circuits they are repairing now,’’ it said.
A Transpower spokesman said lightning strikes had tripped circuits in the system but power was restored by 9.41am.
Recording 19,397 up to yesterday morning was ‘‘a big number’’, according to MetService meteorologist Peter Little.
‘‘Certainly that is a large number of strikes. Not quite a thousand an hour, but hundreds.’’
And he warns there’s more to come as the southern storm lashing the country winds up into the weekend.
MetService said thunderstorms would be moving over the west of the central North Island yesterday morning, bringing heavy rain, hail and strong wind gusts, ‘‘along with the possibility of a few small tornadoes’’.
About western parts of Waikato and Waitomo, MetService said some of these thunderstorms may be severe till late yesterday morning, producing damaging wind gusts in excess of 110kph and possibly a few small localised tornadoes.
Wind gusts of this strength can cause structural damage, including to trees and power lines, and may make driving hazardous. If any tornadoes occur, they will only affect very localised areas.
MetService said Nelson, Buller, Westland, Canterbury High Country, Southern Lakes and Fiordland would also see thunderstorm activity increase around the west of the South Island, with ‘‘a high risk of thunderstorms about all western areas of the island’’.
‘‘These thunderstorms are expected to bring heavy rain, with heavy snow in the mountains, hail, strong wind gusts, with tornadoes possible about coastal areas.’’
MetService said there was a risk some of the thunderstorms would become severe, ‘‘bringing damaging winds gusting greater than 110kph, and ‘‘possibly one or two localised damaging tornadoes near the coast’’.
Severe weather warnings are in place across a number of locations, with watches for heavy snow in parts of Otago, Clutha, Southland and Canterbury.
Heavy snow warnings are also in place in Fiordland, with MetService noting ‘‘unsettled weather is expected to continue until at least Monday, and further watches and warnings for heavy rain, severe gales and heavy snow are likely to be issued for many areas in the coming days’’.