A gaping chasm has appeared in a south Waikato road as councils across the North Island begin to take stock of damage in the wake of the weekend's storm.

As scary as it might sound, the occurrence is more common than you'd think.

Some homeowners probably won't be insured and fear eviction after tide smashes Sydney coast.

Three people were killed in floodwaters from a storm that pounded Australia's east coast, as Sydney residents brace themselves for another destructive king tide.

Tornadoes touch down in Dodge City, Kansas causing early reports of damage, Konrad Hurrell has been released from his contract with the Warriors and Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says homeless people could be offered up to $5000 to leave Auckland.

nzherald.co.nz reader Chris Weissenborn sent in this footage of lightning and thunder on the North Shore's Hauraki Corner at 5am this morning.

A very odd atmospheric event has been unfolding in the Arabian Sea.

It was a heartening moment captured amid overwhelming bleakness: a 3-year-old Hurricane Katrina survivor wrapping her chubby little arms round the air force pararescue jumper who had rappelled into New Orleans to save the girl's family from floodwaters.

An Auckland mother and her terrified son hid in a cupboard as ferocious winds sent a tree branch smashing into their living room.

MetService said a strong, cold southwest flow over New Zealand was bringing showers to southern parts of the North and South Islands.

A group of school campers blocked in by a landslip in Fiordland haven't let "avalanches" and torrential rain put a damper on their fun.

Violent storms across Colorado swirled into tornadoes that destroyed homes, popped open a sinkhole that swallowed a police patrol car and dropped so much hail on a Denver neighbourhood.

Marty Duffy believes his Northeast Valley house will be a write-off after a ''canyon'' opened up in his section.

Lightning strikes and torrential rain which caused floods and slips this week look to be replaced by drier, more predictable weather by tomorrow.

Around 3,000 Auckland homes are without power tonight as the wet weekend weather kicks in.

Gale force winds blowing across Auckland have forced the cancellation of some ferry services and have made driving conditions hazardous.

Wild weather has continued to batter the Bay of Plenty region with high winds flipping a plane on the runway at Tauranga Airport. Plus: Aerial photos of the devastation.

Although the wild weather eased yesterday afternoon, authorities warned that the coming days could see more flash floods.

A woman behind a quilt drive for victims of Cyclone Pam will deliver more than 700 blankets to Vanuatu when she arrives at the devastated island nation on Saturday.

Amazing images of a typhoon heading for the Philippines have been snapped from orbit by two astronauts.

Home and business owners were mopping up yesterday ready to assess the damage after an hour long thunderstorm hammered Alexandra.

Further New Zealand aid has arrived in Vanuatu to help in the aftermath of Cyclone Pam.

The death toll from the "monster storm" has risen to 16 and aid agencies have begun a measles vaccination campaign to contain the virus.

A week on from Cyclone Pam some sense of normality has returned - at least in the capital, Port Vila.

A Red Cross leader labelled Polyfest 'cold and mean-spirited' after it initially refused to let the charity collect at the event for Pacific victims of Cyclone Pam.

It was a tale of two villages. In one, rice, food and water provided by aid agencies, in another, nothing at all.