'Bizarre' thunderstorm captures local attention (+pics)

PHOTO/READERS

The "bizarre" thunderstorm that took many Rotorua residents by surprise was nothing out of the ordinary, a meteorologist says.

Low, rumbling thunder and bursts of lightning were seen and heard around the city from 7.30pm yesterday and were quickly followed by short, heavy downpours and hail in some parts.

The storm lasted about half an hour before moving on as suddenly as it came.

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Readers on the Rotorua Daily Post Facebook page described the storm as "coming out of nowhere".

"It poured down out Ngongotaha... Then the most bizarre, continuous roll of thunder for the last 10 minutes - it's crazy.

"From a scorcher day to thunder and lightning, where did this weather come from?"

Other readers were pleased with the downpour, saying it gave them relief from the unrelenting heat.

"It's making up for all the hot air that has been making us feel disgustingly hot and sweaty for the past few days.

"Bout time we got some rain... It has dropped the temperature."

MetService meteorologist Peter Little said thunderstorms at this time of the year were not unusual.

"When you have strong daytime heating mixed with an unstable upper atmosphere it can allow showers to develop and in turn, create thunderstorms.

"It looks like Rotorua is in for another hot day but there is no unstable upper atmosphere so the likelihood of another storm tonight is slim."

Mr Little said the thunderstorm generated a lot of public interest.

"People found it pretty entertaining and were turning to social media to share photos and videos of the storm."

Rotorua Fire Brigade senior station officer Cameron McEwen said they had a couple of callouts in relation to the sudden storm.

He said the callouts were for minor incidents like blocked drains and slight flooding.