A tornado struck Hamilton last night as an active weather system brought thunderstorms, powerful winds and marble-sized hail to the upper North Island.
In a Facebook post last night, Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate urged Nawton residents to take care after a tornado hit the suburb.
“Emergency services [are helping] with the clean up and repair damaged property and trees,” she said.
Civil Defence Waikato confirmed reports of tornado damage to trees and property in the Nawton area and warned weather across the Waikato Region remains “highly dynamic”.
One witness filmed emergency services responding to the aftermath and said there had been “all sorts of destruction”.
STORY CONTINUES AFTER LIVE BLOG
STORY CONTINUES
“Very strong wind gusts can break branches from trees, damage roofing, and make driving hazardous especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles,” MetService warned.
“Tornadoes can blow out windows, lift roofs, break large branches off trees, generate dangerous flying debris and blow vehicles off the road.”
The severe thunderstorm warning was lifted for the Auckland radar area at 8.55pm.
The National Emergency Management Agency advises that as storms approach you should:
During and after the storm, you should also:
Earlier, the NZ Transport Agency urged drivers to prepare for short-notice lane closures or reduced speeds on the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
From 8pm to midnight tonight, an amber alert will remain in place with forecast wind gusts of 75-85km/h, NZTA said.
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said a large “active” weather system looming off the coast and barrelling towards the country was due to hit at about 4pm yesterday.
⚡️Thunderstorms are knocking at the door, and may come through with very gusty winds, pockets of heavier rain, as well as hail💨🌧️🧊
— MetService (@MetService) May 29, 2025
Keep a close eye on the radar this afternoon and evening, especially in places like Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, and Taranaki pic.twitter.com/jcu3CULE6k
“We’re seeing kind of that band of thunderstorms and showers moving on to the country this afternoon and evening.
“With those thunderstorms, we could see very strong winds, and that’ll probably be one of the main things to look out for [yesterday].
“And as always, thunderstorms do bring the risk of pockets of isolated, very heavy rain, so that’ll be something else to keep an eye on as well as that possibility of hail.”
Waves of squally showers & thunderstorms will spiral through the upper half of the North Island today.
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) May 28, 2025
Some thunderstorms will have hail, gusty wind, and strong wind gusts.
Best to stay connected with @MetService for any watches & warnings that may be issued. pic.twitter.com/27VdmEbdAn
She said the thunderstorms will be embedded with destructive gusts of up to 110km/h in some areas and hail the size of marbles, ranging from 5-15mm.
“In addition, there is also a low risk of a small tornado, which could occur with or without a thunderstorm,” MetService reported on its website.
There is a higher risk in Auckland, Northland, northern Waikato and Coromandel Peninsula that the thunderstorms would be “severe”.
“I’d say for places for people who are in those areas, but even for people who are outside of those areas in the North Island, definitely a good day to keep a close eye on the radar and kind of track where those rain bands are and kind of see how that fits in with your plans for [yesterday],” Makgabutlane said.
SH25 has reopened after a slip closed the Thames-Coast Rd between Ruamahunga and Tapu yesterday morning.
NZTA said loose rocks and debris on the slip face meant it wasn’t safer to open a lane any earlier.
“Road users are advised to take care and drive to the conditions with more rain forecast this afternoon and into the evening,” NZTA said.
Makgabutlane told the Herald that Kiwis should expect a “noticeable cooler feeling” in the air as winter begins this weekend.
She said that would be because of a southwesterly flow over the country.
Makgabutlane said overall, the long weekend was not looking like a washout at this stage, but there would be periods of showers.
She said coastal areas in the western parts of the country, as well as the lower South Island, could have breezy southwesterlies, which might create some large waves.
“That’s maybe a bit of an early heads-up for anybody who is thinking about being near the coast in those areas.”