MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden says the thunderstorms will ease (file image). Photo: 123RF
A calmer day is in store for parts of the South Island battered on Saturday by hail, and lashed by torrential downpours and lightning.
One of the storms was a rare, powerful and long-lasting 'supercell' in the Canterbury Plains.
In Ashburton, the council dispatched a contractor to clear street gutters after a big hail storm there.
New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) sent crews between Timaru and Fairlie to reports of hail blocking the road and cars being flooded.
MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden says the thunderstorms will ease.
"Although there still is a moderate risk for northern parts of the South Island, however, the southern parts that have seen that significant thunderstorm activity yesterday, they are not in the firing line of thunderstorms.
"However, there will still be a few showers about."
⛈️ It’s been an active afternoon in the south ⛈️
— MetService NZ (@MetService) December 27, 2025
Here is a video looking south from Rakaia of an active supercell.
️ While there have been a number of severe hailstorms around this afternoon, we can confirm (based on radar reflectivity and Doppler analysis) that the most severe… pic.twitter.com/e5N62XxU62
Horticulture New Zealand had no reports of damaged crops.
MetService had two heavy rain watches in place for next day:
- Coromandel Peninsula from 9am Monday into Tuesday morning, with a moderate chance of being upgraded to a warning
- Gisborne/Tairawhiti from 1pm Monday to 6am Tuesday, with a high chance of upgrading to a warning.
"I think there will be some fine breaks in there," Lynden said of Sunday's expected weather.
"The people will see sun today, which is brilliant, but there still will be those showers, particularly in the afternoon and particularly for inland areas."
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