'Thunder, lightning, wind, and hail': Isolated wild weather hits parts of Bay of Plenty

Hail fell in Whakamārama this afternoon. Photo / Zena Crouch

From hail to sunshine, parts of the Bay of Plenty got a mixed bag of wild weather this afternoon.

Whakamārama woman Zena Crouch was among those Western Bay of Plenty and Tauranga residents who witnessed the turbulent atmosphere.

She was lying down at home and about to watch television when her children started shouting about the hail falling outside.

Hail fell in Whakamārama this afternoon. Photo / Zena Crouch

Crouch said she grabbed her phone to capture the kids frolicking about in the hail.

"It came over so quickly. Thunder, lightning, wind, and hail," she said.

The hail fell for about 10 minutes before clearing to shunshine.

Crouch said she had never seen anything like it in the year and a half she had lived in the area.

Lightning strikes in Tauranga this afternoon. Photo / Olivia Lewis

MetService forecaster, Cameron Koutts, said 194 lightning had been recorded across parts of the Bay of Plenty, Eastern Waikato and Hunua Ranges today in the midst of a severe thunderstorm watch being issued.

Bits of hail that fell in Judea this afternoon. Photo / Tori Foster

This came as isolated thunderstorms, heavy rain, and hail were hitting the Western Bay of Plenty in patches.

The clouds roll in on Tauranga. Photo / Amber Joines

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued https://t.co/bvyWblGVWQ pic.twitter.com/dQfqhjUkA7

— Severe Weather Info (@MetServiceWARN) February 22, 2020

South of Tauranga had about 10mm of rainfall in the last six or so hours, while parts west of Rotorua had gathered 30mm.

The showers were very isolated, so some people could expect to see rainclouds completely miss them while others would receive a good dousing., he said.

Koutts expected the weather to clear by the evening.