A large tornado has hit Warea in Taranaki this morning. Video / Lynley Johnson
A powerful tornado shifted a shipping container and left one home owner fearing her windows would blow out as twisters roared through rural Taranaki today.
Multiple tornadoes were reported across the region and a severe thunderstorm watch was in place, Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management said.
A Warearesident in Taranaki’s west, Lynley Johnson, told the Herald her husband spotted the tornado when he was driving at 10am.
“We looked out the window and just watched it go across the sea in front of us.
“Thought windows were going to implode, freaky and very loud,” the resident said on Facebook.
MetService said a severe thunderstorm watch was in force for Taranaki until 6pm.
Scattered thunderstorms bring the risk of heavy falls, hail and strong wind gusts in the region.
MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden said he couldn’t put a number on how many tornadoes struck the region today because the radar imagery often does not pick up on them.
“It’s been lots of thunderstorms and lightning and just generally very dynamic, and that’s kind of prime conditions for these tornado-like structures,” Lynden said.
“There still are a few thunderstormy type cells moving across the North Island, but for the Taranaki area itself, they’re unlikely to see any more of those kind of heavy downpours and tornado-like structures for the rest of the evening.”
When looking towards tomorrow, the risk of thunderstorms along the coast of Taranaki remains.
The MetService thunderstorm outlook said there was a high risk of thunderstorms for Taranaki, the far-western Tasman District and the Buller District throughout most of today.
“These thunderstorms will bring brief heavy rain of 10-25 mm/h, hail of 5-20 mm diameter and squally wind gusts of 80-110 km/h.”
There is a moderate risk for Whanganui, southern Manawatū, Horowhenua, Kāpiti, Wellington, northern Marlborough (mainly the Sounds) and northeastern parts of Nelson from this morning and afternoon.
