Thunderstorms and hail lash Canterbury

Mid Canterbury is getting a lashing from thunderstorms and hail this afternoon.

Hailstones as large as golf balls have been reported by Newstalk ZB's WeatherWatch Centre.

It said radar have detected severe storms near Woodbury, Geraldine, Orari, Arundel and off the coast of Timaru. Large hail has already been reported from Woodbury.

Weather analyst Richard Green says torrential rain, hail and a non-stop thunder have been rattling inland parts of Canterbury.

The MetService has issued a Thunderstorm Watch for the entire Canterbury region with the possibility of weak tornadoes.

WeatherWatch.co.nz's lightning tracker has detected close to 600 lightning strikes in Canterbury in the past 60 minutes.

- NEWSTALK ZB