Aucklander Cam Rhodes has described a darkening sky, running from golf ball-sized hail and the sound of a "bomb exploding" as lightning caused a large electrical fire.

A powerful tornado has swept through a Midwestern US state leaving up to 91 people dead.

A monstrous tornado roared through Oklahoma City suburbs, destroying an elementary school as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 320 kph.

Tornadoes ravaged parts of Oklahoma yesterday, reducing portions of a mobile home park to rubble and killing a 79-year-old man whose body was found out in the open.

Forecast sunshine for the upper North Island today is expected to dry up a saturated country after heavy downpours cut power to hundreds of homes and flooded buildings.

Winter storms continued to blight virtually the whole of Britain, with heavy snowfalls in the Midlands, Yorkshire and Wales, road and airport closures, and thousands left without electricity.

Most of the debris has been cleared and repairs have begun, but residents of a tornado-ravaged Auckland street have long gone.

While fires burn across southeastern Australia and the northwest braces for Tropical Cyclone Narelle, Australia's volatile weather has produced a spectacular red dust storm.

A small tornado has hit the Mayfield Golf Course near Ashburton, accomplishing four seasons' worth of pruning in four minutes.

New Zealand has sent desperately needed supplies to cyclone-ravaged Samoa and Fiji as thousands remain in evacuation centres and vital services are cut off.

Thousands remain in evacuation centres as the clean-up continues in Samoa and Fiji in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Evan.

Fijians has began cleaning up after the effects of Cyclone Evan, which left a swathe of destruction after battering the Pacific nation for more than 12 hours.

A state of natural disaster has been declared for 15 days in Fiji as the Pacific nation begins the clean-up in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Evan

Samoans in New Zealand are still anxiously waiting to hear how their loved ones fared after Cyclone Evan hit.

Two ships were grounded and houses thrown through the air as winds of up to 270km/h uprooted trees and homes force hit Fiji during Tropical Cyclone Evan.

Fiji residents are bracing themselves as Cyclone Evan makes its presence felt. Thousands of people have taken shelter in the region as Tropical Cyclone Evan batters the area with winds of up to 185km/h. Up to 400 New Zealanders also hunkered down in evacuation centres, with Cyclone Evan increasing from category 3 to 4 as it made its way towards Fiji.

The category three tropical cyclone currently lashing Samoa could develop into a category five monster by the time it reaches Fiji.

Tropical Cyclone Evan is making its presence felt as it sweeps through the Pacific Islands, hitting Samoa and Fiji with winds of up to 185km/h, leaving a trail of debris behind it.

Leading Aircraftman Rochelle Wech had just set up home in Wallingford Way with her boyfriend after a six-month deployment in East Timor when the tornado hit.

The police cordon has been lifting allowing residents back into the worst-damaged neighbourhoods in Hobsonville after yesterday's deadly storms.

Some West Aucklanders affected by yesterday's tornado feel they were not prepared enough to deal with the emergency. Three people were killed and seven were injured when the storm - including tornadoes - hit Auckland yesterday afternoon. About 250 people were left homeless and thousands of homes were without power after the storm, which is estimated to have caused $11 million worth of damage.