On a Saturday afternoon in November, the weather service lifted a severe thunderstorm warning over the Hurunui District in Canterbury, ending a brief alert that had been raised once radar detected electrical storms over the region. The moment closed a day in which thunderstorms had moved across much of the North Island, bringing lightning, flood threats and disruption to ordinary life. It is the familiar rhythm of weather in this country: a sudden surge of violence, a quick reckoning, and then a return to watchfulness as the sky settles.
Hurunui severe thunderstorm warning lifted as storms sweep Canterbury and North Island
The severe thunderstorm has weakened, so the warning is lifted.
Mark
So the Hurunui warning is over. Why does that matter if it only lasted under an hour?
Mimi
It was issued after radar picked up storms at 3.22pm and lifted at 4.11pm. It shows how fast these cells can form and fade, and MetService said this one had weakened.
Mark
The North Island had the bigger day, though.
Mimi
Yes. A watch covered Auckland, Coromandel, Waikato, Waitomo, Taumarunui and Taupō, with periodic red warnings in Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty. More than 2500 lightning strikes were recorded between midday and 6.30pm.
Luke
That figure comes from MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden, so it's one source's count. It's a good source, but it's worth saying whose number it is.
Mark
What actually went wrong on the ground?
Mimi
The football match in Auckland was delayed. Wairau Valley on the North Shore had issues in a heavy downpour, and a Link Drive vape store had water coming through its roof and damaged stock.
Luke
We don't know how widespread the damage was. The report gives a couple of examples, not a tally, so I wouldn't read it as the full picture.
Mark
And Wairau Valley has history here.
Mimi
It was badly affected by the Anniversary Weekend floods in 2023. The report mentions that, but it doesn't say how serious this time was.
Luke
Right. And the all-clear is only for today's severe storms. MetService says they're unlikely, not impossible, and it's still monitoring.
Der Puls
- Radar picked up electrical storms over Canterbury and a severe thunderstorm warning was raised for the Hurunui District within the afternoon.
- The North Island endured a day of red warnings, with more than 2500 lightning strikes recorded between midday and 6.30pm.
- Torrential rain turned a North Shore vape store into a flood scene, with water pouring through the roof in Wairau Valley.
- A football match between Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix was delayed as lightning lit up the stadium.
- MetService lifted the Canterbury warning, saying the storm had weakened, though flood and hail risks have not fully passed.
On a Saturday afternoon in November, the weather service lifted a severe thunderstorm warning over the Hurunui District in Canterbury, ending a brief alert that had been raised once radar detected electrical storms over the region. The moment closed a day in which thunderstorms had moved across much of the North Island, bringing lightning, flood threats and disruption to ordinary life. It is the familiar rhythm of weather in this country: a sudden surge of violence, a quick reckoning, and then a return to watchfulness as the sky settles.
At 4.11pm, MetService lifted the severe thunderstorm warning it had issued for the Hurunui District. The alert had been raised earlier in the afternoon, after radar showed electrical storms gathering over Canterbury. The forecaster's word was short: the storm had weakened, and no further severe thunderstorms were expected for the rest of the day, though meteorologists would keep watching.
The quiet over Canterbury followed a stormy day further north. A watch had covered Auckland, the Coromandel, Waikato and parts of the central plateau until Saturday night, and red warnings came and went over Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty. MetService had warned of what these storms could bring: flash flooding in streams and urban areas, hail threatening crops and orchards, and frequent lightning that endangers anyone outdoors or on the water.
The weather reached into everyday life. An Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix match at Go Media Stadium was delayed, and readers sent in photos of lightning around the ground. On the North Shore, a heavy downpour returned water to Wairau Valley, an area scarred by the 2023 floods. At a vape store on Link Drive, water poured through the roof, damaging stock and drawing emergency calls. Across the country, the storms had passed, but the risks of flood and hail were not yet entirely behind.
At 4.11pm, MetService lifted the severe thunderstorm warning it had issued for the Hurunui District, ending a short, sharp alert over Canterbury. Earlier in the afternoon, at 3.22pm, the weather radar had picked up electrical storms over the region, and the warning was raised for the Canterbury radar area.
The forecaster's update was brief. The severe thunderstorm had weakened, MetService said, and the warning was no longer needed. It added that other thunderstorms were unlikely to become severe for the rest of the day, though its meteorologists would keep watching.
The Canterbury warning came after a long day of storms further north. A watch covered Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, Waitomo, Taumarunui and Taupō until 8pm on Saturday night. Periodic red severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for parts of Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.
MetService had spelled out what those storms could bring. Torrential rain can cause surface and flash flooding around streams, gullies and urban areas, and can make driving extremely hazardous. Hail can damage crops, orchards and vines, and also makes driving dangerous. Frequent lightning is a danger to people and livestock, particularly anyone outdoors or on the water, and can cause power surges and damage electrical equipment.
Sport was caught up in it too. The Auckland FC and Wellington Phoenix fixture at Go Media Stadium was delayed by the weather, and Herald readers sent in photos of lightning around the ground. MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden said more than 2500 lightning strikes were recorded across the North Island between midday and 6.30pm.
On Auckland's North Shore, a heavy downpour caused problems in Wairau Valley, an area hit hard by the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods in 2023. At a vape store on Link Drive, water began streaming in through the roof. It flooded a cabinet and damaged stock, and staff called emergency services.
With the Canterbury warning lifted, MetService expects no further severe storms that day. Its meteorologists are still monitoring conditions, so the risks of flooding and hail have not entirely passed.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The severe thunderstorm has weakened so the warning is lifted; other storms are unlikely to become severe today, but meteorologists will keep monitoring.— MetService
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