Two photos from two different parts of the world.  A huge hail storm in Canada and a halo around the sun here in New Zealand.

Firstly this photo, sent in by Ruth Boyde, shows a huge hail stone (golf ball sized) which punctured and smashed through the camper vent in their bathroom.  This happened at the Kings Acres Campgrounds in Regina Saskatchewan today.  

A severe thunderstorm watch is currently in force in Regina (population 210,000) with a high today of 32 degrees and a high tomorrow of 24 it’s clear a cold change is moving through, producing some spectacular thunderstorms this afternoon and tonight local time.

Thanks Ruth for sending this photo in from Canada!

And back at home – a gloomy day in Auckland thanks to thickening high cloud from a sub-tropical low to our north east has been made more colourful thanks to a rose flowering in the mid-winter warmth. 

Photo (below) by Zelda Wynn.