Games likely to dodge worst of nasty weather

Scotland might be facing the worst conditions in Invercargill. Photo / Getty Images

Gale-force winds and thunderstorms are battering the North Island and snow is falling in the south, but the worst of the weather should miss Rugby World Cup games.

A vicious hailstorm shrouded parts of Wellington in white yesterday afternoon, and dropped the air temperature in the capital 8C in 30 minutes.

Police reported two car crashes in Wellington during the storm, which earlier in the day passed over Canterbury and Picton, leaving behind 2cm-wide hailstones.

WeatherWatch analyst Philip Duncan said: "A lot of people were telling us the sky went pitch black and quite scary-looking. And very loud thunder ... some of the loudest they had heard in many years."

The cold southerly weather pattern also caused snowfall in Otago and Queenstown.

MetService issued a strong wind warning yesterday for all of the North Island above Central Plateau, with severe gusts of 120km/h expected in exposed spots. The strongest winds were expected to fade this morning, but a stiff southwesterly was still expected to affect today's games in Rotorua, Whangarei and Invercargill.

Weather-wise the tournament got off to a flyer, with summer-like conditions in Auckland on Friday and Saturday.

THE OUTLOOK
Today

Rotorua- Samoa v Namibia. Showers clearing during game. Gusty winds, 14C.

Whangerei- Tonga v Canada. Fine spells, chance odd shower, 15C.

Invercargill- Scotland v Georgia. Rain with cold southwesterlies, 8C.

Tomorrow
New Plymouth- Russia v USA. Cloudy with odd shower. Cold westerlies, 11C.

Friday
Hamilton- NZ v Japan. Fine spells but some showers, 12C.

Saturday
Auckland- Australia v Ireland. Showers, 12C.

-additional reporting APNZ