Kiwis in New York and up the east coast of the United States were last night hunkering down as one of the biggest storms in history bore down on the region.

Severe thunderstorms may hit Dunedin, North Otago and Clutha this afternoon bringing heavy rain and hail as large as 20mm to some areas, MetService warns.

A powerful typhoon destroyed homes and flooded low-lying coastal villages in the Philippines, forcing a million people to flee to safety and reportedly leaving at least three dead.

Auckland is in for a wet and windy start to the week, with heavy rain, gales and possible thunderstorms forecast for today.

Bad weather that lashed the North Island yesterday left thousands without power and put the bite on the Taste of Auckland Festival.

A year ago, Typhoon Haiyan created a series of storm surges that left several thousand people dead and around four million homeless.

Blustery winds of up to 160km/h are ripping through parts of the country today, with a series of weather warnings and watches in place, MetService says.

A tropical storm was moving out into the Sea of Japan last night after lashing the country with rain and winds, leaving one person dead and more than 50 injured.

A tornado has ripped through Greymouth this afternoon, tearing off a roof and damaging up to 10 properties.

Conservation Minister Nick Smith is considering legal action after he was accused of trying to stop advocacy group Fish and Game from lobbying for cleaner rivers.

Auckland lines company Vector says it is still assessing the financial cost of last week's storm.

Rescuers trying to save people at a house party deluged by floodwaters were abused by those they were trying to help.

At least a dozen families were in a welfare centre last night after one of the longest and most damaging storms in years lashed the country.

In the wake of one of the longest and most damaging storms to hit in years, Northland must now turn its attention to repairing key infrastructure.

Kayaker Scott Donaldson's aborted attempt to cross the Tasman Sea shows just how treacherous the ocean can become in fierce storms.

Tonight will be the third cold night without power for thousands of households as more stormy conditions continue to batter the top of the North Island.

Thousands of people are still without power across the north following a severe storm which battered the country over the past two days.

The Government’s decision to allow harvesting of native timber felled by Cyclone Ita on West Coast conservation land is a “massive victory”.

Parliament is expected to pass urgent legislation to enable the recovery of native timber blown over in Cyclone Ita on West Coast public conservation land.

Wild weather is hardly unexpected this time of the year. Aucklanders have every reason to believe any problem arising from strong winds or heavy rain will be handled efficiently.