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