A severe thunderstorm warning issued this afternoon for parts of Canterbury has been lifted.
Shortly before 3pm, MetService lifted a thunderstorm warning for the Christchurch and Selwyn areas after thunderstorms had been detected near Darfield, Oxford, Kirwee, Charing Cross and Greendale.
The forecaster said the thunderstorms were “accompanied by very heavy rain and large hail”.
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“Very heavy rain can cause surface and/or flash flooding about streams, gullies and urban areas, and make driving conditions extremely hazardous,” the forecaster warned.
Large hail could also cause “significant damage” to crops, orchards, vines, glasshouses and vehicles.
MetService forecaster Gerard Bellan told 1News there had already been thunderstorms in Timaru today, which led to “some large hail” in that area.
“Basically Canterbury up as far as about Christchurch we have got a moderate risk of thunderstorms there. So that would be rain of 10 to 25mm/h and that large hail of 10cm to 20cm in diameter.”
Christchurch residents captured video from their homes of large hail pieces falling and lightning strikes. (Source: Supplied)
“These systems are sort of tracking up the coast, sort of towards the north-east or in the south-west direction. There are some quite big shower clouds showing up on our radar to the west of Christchurch,” he added.
“So there is a risk there in Christchurch, some thunderstorms and hail there as well.
He urged people to drive to the conditions.
“People need to drive the conditions and it can be extremely hazardous driving with low visibility in the air.”
Bellan said there was some “good news”, as the storm was expected to clear away into the evening.
– Additional reporting by Bronte Chapman
