The severe thunderstorm warning that had been issued for Christchurch this afternoon has now been lifted after heavy hailstorms and heavy rain across the region.
MetService earlier issued a warning saying “these thunderstorms are expected to be accompanied by very heavy rain and large hail”.
Residents had been urged to stay or get inside and stay away from windows and avoid waterways.
Kelly Watson told the Herald the hailstorm was quite intense for at least 10 minutes.
“It came in quite hard and fast. We saw an Air New Zealand flight take a sharp right turn on take off, not long after take-off, just as the first flash of lightning occurred to its left.”
Watson had been at the airport watching the planes with her young son.
“My son is autistic. He loves planes, and thunderstorms... His dream day.”
Meanwhile, residents described New Zealand’s southernmost town Bluff being blanketed by a freak and intense hailstorm this morning, leaving much of the town white.
One resident posted on Facebook that he was biking to “the Bluffs” when he “barely outran the storm”.
“(I) just caught the edge of some crazy winds, got knocked down by some hail,” he said.
“Just gunned it and made (it) through to the clear skies ... Spotted a couple more funnels forming … just glad we dodged them all.”
Truck driver Carl Kirkbeck told 1News he noticed a dark cloud over Bluff while bringing new fish bins out to the factories.
“Looking at Bluff, it was jet black. It was a black you cannot describe,” he said.
Kirkbeck’s colleague warned him of a hailstorm in the area.
“When we drove into it and saw it, it was like, ‘holy smoke. Is it bloody snow or is it actually hail?’”
MetService meteorologist Matt Ford said there is a cold southwesterly flow affecting the South Island at the moment.
“That would bring hail, heavy showers and even some snow in some places, in parts of the southern South Island,” he said.
Several alpine roads in the lower South Island received a sprinkling of snow this morning, with road snowfall warnings issued for Arthur’s Pass, Milford Rd, Lindis Pass and Crown Range Rd.
“But the good thing is that this eases today and into tomorrow. There is some brighter weather on the way,” Ford said.
Ford said hailstones form when cold air is very high up in the atmosphere and warm air rises.
“When it rises it cools and forms thunderstorms and hail clouds,” he said.
“What you need are really strong updrafts and downdrafts within the clouds.”
Ford said when the raindrops in clouds become heavy enough, they form hailstones.
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