Thunderstorms to smash South Island as North Island gets short reprieve

Lightning strikes a house in Manly and it was one of 2000 lightning strikes recorded across Auckland on Tuesday. Photo / Krista Dedden

Strong wind, rain, hail and even some tornadoes are set to smash the West Coast of the South Island from tonight through to tomorrow morning.

The front that hammered the North Island today with about 2000 lightning strikes sparking over Auckland and 500 lightning strikes hitting Rotorua has moved away, giving a short reprieve.

But South Islanders should brace themselves with thunderstorms expected to strike Greymouth, Westport, Hokitika, Clutha and Dunedin tonight and tomorrow.

MetService meteorologist Rob Kerr said the next front was now moving onto the West Coast of the South Island and Greymouth could start to feel the affects of it within the next few hours.

"That front is moving over them now an in behind that front there's a lot of cold here."

Hokitika and Greymouth would be the first areas to get hit by the severe weather followed three or four hours later by places like Greymouth and Westport.

Thunderstorms all over today! While the most intense action at the moment is all in the upper north, these two southern areas have the potential for heavy downpours and hail later today. Details: https://t.co/GZIq9Jlbrw ^AH pic.twitter.com/f5qU6NKrAv

— MetService (@MetService) December 3, 2018

"We've got some thunderstorms sparking off down there that are quite isolated but heavy. And if this front stalls over them this evening they could see quite a lot of rain and then the thunderstorm activity could be quite severe."

The same front is affecting the lower North Island there was a moderate risk of thunderstorms in Manawatu and Kapiti Coast tomorrow morning.

"All the thunderstorm activity really is expected to be south of Whanganui tomorrow in the western part.

There was also a moderate risk of thunderstorms in the Manawatu and Horowhenua regions tomorrow afternoon.

Satellite imagery clearly shows the deep convective towers of the thunderstorm clouds, lower level cloud behind the storms and then this afternoons sunnier weather currently offshore to the west. Everything is moving quickly eastward. Satellite @ https://t.co/rcECVupmWY ^JM pic.twitter.com/TaypS8vMZT

— MetService (@MetService) December 3, 2018

Showers could also fall over parts of the central North Island, but the weather would be nowhere near as dramatic as had it had been in the past two days where the dramatic weather saw four Hamilton teachers and an Auckland cleaner struck by lightning.

"As we get into the late hours of this evening and the early hours of this morning we will see some more showers, but they are not expected to be anywhere as near as severe as what happened today. So we don't have a thunderstorm risk associated with that.

"All the thunderstorm activity really is expected to be south of Whanganui tomorrow in the western part."

Science and art together.

Note the rising sun🌞in the east earlier today combined with the tall clouds - which produced our thunderstorms⛈️ - working together to create & cast shadows to the west.

The shadows start long and then get shorter as the sun rises.

~Chris pic.twitter.com/lK7bo3zunM

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) December 3, 2018