Wellington has just been hit by a violent thunder and hail storm leaving the ground white like snow and rattling windows by some of the loudest thunder in years.
Motorways and inner city streets are white following the dramatic hail storm a short time ago.
WeatherWatch.co.nz says around 200 lightning strikes have been detected on the Lightning Tracker over the lower North Island in the past hour.
“Thunder has been heard for the last 15 min here (I’m in Newlands) it’s been rolling across town so I can hear it. Saw lightning when I looked across the city. It’s now very dark here and imagine the storm is coming my way” wrote Felicity Hill on WeatherWatch.co.nz’s Facebook page.
“It’s incredible! My back yard is white” wrote Rachel Van Stockum.
Lynette Hansford wrote a short time ago “I can see it coming and it is looking SCARY!!”
WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan says the dramatic southerly changed packed a punch. “The city went from a nor’wester and 12 degrees to a southerly and 4 degrees in around 30 minutes”.
Mr Duncan says conditions should improve fairly quickly as the thunderstorms head into Wairarapa.
Blair Street Wellington / Jaymie Morgan
Wellington / Ryan Palmer
Wilton in Wellington – the hail was at least 1cm in diameter with thunder and lightning too / Sally Eyre
Crazy hail in Oxford (North Canterbury) / Anthea Anderson
Newlands, Wellington / Ngaire Rose
– WeatherWatch.co.nz
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Melissa on 13/09/2011 6:27am
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RW on 13/09/2011 4:28am
It didn’t really “rush in”, so the hail and lightning was not a shock to me. After a morning with some semi-bright periods and weakish S/SSW winds but no proper clearance, conditions became very dark (as dark as I’ve ever seen at this time of year and day) and there was some rotation in the general cloud mass that I could see. After about 30 minutes the show got underway in earnest.
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