Severe thunderstorms rumble the Bay of Plenty

Did you get woken by thunder and lightning last night? Photo / File

Many would have awoken in the night to the sound of loud and grumbling thunderstorms that shook the region.

Metservice had issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Rotorua, Taupō, the Bay of Plenty and the Coromandel Peninsula last night with a humid air mass over the North Island bringing downpours and severe thunderstorms to a number of different areas.

For most of the Bay of Plenty, a severe weather watch was in place from 9pm last night to 9am this morning.

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for Bay of Plenty Radar Area https://t.co/eCw3rvjROH pic.twitter.com/SkvxdIxBeN

— Severe Weather Info (@MetServiceWARN) December 8, 2019

Metservice warned that rainfall of this intensity could cause surface or flash flooding, especially around low-lying areas and may also lead to slips.

The weather improves in the region today with increasing fine spells with the chance of a late shower for Rotorua and Tauranga. The week ahead looks mostly fine with a few showers forecast closer to the weekend.