A tornado ripped through Whakatane early yesterday, leaving a high school damaged, a trampoline draped across power lines and debris strewn across streets.
Trident High School suffered major damage to its roof and verandahs when the storm hit at 2 am, principal Peter Tootell said. Many windows were also broken.
The
Education Ministry sent a building consultant to the school to assess the damage, but the cost of repairs was not yet known.
Elsewhere, a trampoline was picked up and left across power lines, Whakatane police Constable Andrew Marsden said.
A power company was called in to remove it.
Thunderstorms were a frequent occurrence in the area, and atmospheric conditions were ripe for smaller tornadoes, MetService forecaster Steve Ready said.
In one hour on Thursday night, 14mm of rain fell around Whakatane.
Mr Ready said tornadoes were not common in the area, but one ripped through Awakeri in November, pulling up sheds and a glasshouse.
Two or three smaller tornadoes struck the area later the same day.
Three weeks earlier, a tornado tore through Opotiki's Tirohanga Beach, lifting a vehicle and hurling it into the beach store.
- NZPA
