The west of New Zealand is in the firing line for another blast of wet weather as Kiwis are warned to be on the lookout for downed power lines and damaged trees.
Wednesday brought a mixture of pelting rain, tornadoes and thousands of lightning strikes that led to electricity line companies being on alert for outages.
- Tornado rips through far North
- Watch: Terrifying moment tornado attacks Far North settlement
- Watch: Lightning strikes Auckland's Sky Tower
But as MetService warns, "as one system pulls away, another enters the fray".
While the weather forecaster says Thursday's wet weather will be more run-of-the-mill than Wednesday's concoction, the public should still be aware of heavy rain, strong gusts and hail.
A strong wind warning for Wellington and the Marlborough Sounds was issued for early Thursday morning.
"Strong wind gusts could damage trees, powerlines and unsecured structures. Driving may be hazardous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles," the forecaster said.
Vector warned on Wednesday the public should stay away from fallen powerlines and treat all damaged electrical equipment as live at all times.
WeatherWatch described Thursday's forecast weather as "ugh", noting western parts of the country could be in for a hammering by heavy rain. The west of the North Island can also expect gusty westerlies in the afternoon.
The West Coast, Southland and Otago are likely to encounter hail and thunderstorms.
Kiwis may also be waking up on Thursday morning to fresh layers of snow, especially in parts of Canterbury, Otago and Southland. The North Island's Desert Rd can expect some snow showers.
Newshub.
