Sky Tower Struck by Lightning, One Injured in Tornado Incident

Stormy weather continues to sweep across the North Island, prompting multiple warnings and watches as conditions intensify. A severe thunderstorm watch remains in place for the Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Taupō. Reported by Rachel Maher from NewstalkZB. 

According to MetService, the storms may bring torrential rain, with up to 40mm falling in an hour, posing risks of slips and flash flooding. Wind gusts are forecast to reach around 90km/h, and forecasters warn there is a possibility of a “damaging tornado”.

In Manawatū, a caravan was overturned during the severe weather, leaving one person injured while three others were being assessed.

Auckland has also been hit hard. The Sky Tower sustained a direct lightning strike, and large hailstones fell across northern parts of the city. Flooding forced the closure of the northbound on-ramp to the Northern Motorway.

Wild conditions have also disrupted air travel, with planes circling above Auckland Airport as the weather system moved across the region.