Tornado rips through South Island town as heavy rain warnings continue

Heavy rain and severe gales have been battering parts of central and southern New Zealand.

Heavy rain warnings have been in effect for parts of Canterbury, Westland, Dunedin, Fiordland, Southland and Clutha.

Strong wind warnings have been in effect for Wellington, southern Wairarapa, the Canterbury High Country and Banks Peninsula.

Tornado rips through Greymouth street

In Greymouth, photos show a tornado causing significant damage to shops and car yards on Tainui St and downing power lines.

Local Jake Lacey said late last night the tornado caused significant damage to multiple shops and car yards on the street.

The aftermath of a tornado in Greymouth late last night. Photo / Jake Lacey

“Powerlines are down, fire crews [are] responding to the incident. I was on the ground and one witness said large pieces of tin were flying around, with wood now scattered all over the road.”

Power out in Clutha

Parts of the Clutha district are without power and there is widespread flooding on roads as wild weather hits the south.

Clutha District Council said the power outages would affect water treatment plants on rural water schemes.

There was widespread surface flooding on the roads, including Kaitangata’s main street and in Lawrence.

In Otago and Southland, Police have been warning people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travel.

Fire and Emergency NZ is reporting no weather-related call-outs in the South Island before 5am.

Dunedin mayor Jules Radich told the AM Show this morning that there was still a bit of rain and, more importantly, strong winds battering the region - which “is a worry to us”.

He said the gutters were not streaming with water so there was no danger of flooding.

“But [the] forecast through the night was heavy rain so our people have been keeping watch all night.

💧 More rain is coming for South Island regions that experienced dryness & drought over summer...

Between tonight & tomorrow, it's possible that parts of Otago receive a month's worth of rain with strong, gusty winds, especially along the coast 🌬️

It will also get much cooler! pic.twitter.com/QsKnFINZYu

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) March 20, 2023

“There is only so much you can do in terms of preparation.”

An evacuation centre is also being set up in Dunedin, in case residents may be evacuated from their homes.

Radich said he did not know whether the worst of the weather was done yet.

The forecast predicted wild weather would ease today. However, conditions were still looking heavy, Radich said.

“Based on the forecast I have seen, it will stay this way for some hours.”

A tornado has caused damage in parts of Greymouth overnight. Photo / Jake Lacey

Severe weather warnings

The wild weather conditions come as MetService warns of heavy rain and severe gales for parts of central and southern New Zealand that is expected to continue through to tomorrow morning.

The weather authority said yesterday that a deep low weather system is expected to develop along a front to the east of the lower South Island today - bringing the potential for severe gale southerlies, heavy rain and large southerly waves for eastern parts of the South Island.

A number of severe weather warnings have lifted over the last few hours. However, some remain.

Dunedin has a heavy rain warning in place. The warning was effective from 7pm yesterday and last until 11am.

Locals are told between 60mm to 90mm of rain can be expected, with peak rainfall rates of between 10mm to 20mm/h.

- with ODT