KEY POINTS:
Last night was one of the most spectacular electrical storms I've ever seen as a huge thunderstorm moved up the Kaimai and Coromandel ranges then out to sea.
The storm was responsible for dumping huge hail on the Kaimai Ranges, affecting motorists, and also causing a water spout near Great Barrier Island, flipping a 31-foot launch over.
My lounge window faces east and I was distracted from watching TV by the amazing light show going on. Flashes were seen every few seconds with up to 1200 flashes in one hour alone.
There was fork and sheet lightning, a mixture of purples, greens and oranges. Some brilliant, some dull.
In New Zealand it doesn't get any better than that... we rarely produce thunder cells as big as last night's one and it mirrored what you'd see in tornado alley in America.
We have been sent some spectacular photos of last nights electrical storm - check them out here.
If you have photos send them in to us.
Today the air is much cooler and drier - so we don't expect a repeat of yesterday's performance. Possibly if you live on East Cape you might see some flashes tonight out at sea as this slow system moves away.
For the rest of New Zealand today should be a mostly dry, sunny, day - with some big temperatures returning to the east coast of the nation tomorrow thanks to a light northerly or nor'westerly wind developing.
- Philip Duncan
Photo: A lightning bolt over the Coromandel Ranges. Photo / WeatherWatch.co.nz / Philip Brewer
