200 lightning strikes hit Dunedin and Clutha

A blast of lighting, hail and thunder has capped off Christmas Day in Dunedin.

The city was hit with thunder, lighting and a heavy down pour of rain at about 6pm.

MetService issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Dunedin and Clutha and advised people to find shelter between 6.30pm and 7pm.

Meteorologist Alanna Burrows said Dunedin and Clutha were hit with about 200 lightning strikes which was a third of about 600 strikes that occurred after 1pm in the South Island.

In total about 7.5mm of rain fell in Dunedin in a burst of 15 minutes.

After the showers passed at 7pm the North Otago, Dunedin and Clutha regions were still under a severe thunderstorm watch.

There was chance of some ‘‘severely’’ large hail — more than 20mm in diameter in Clutha north of Balclutha, Dunedin and North Otago.

Large hail could cause significant damage to crops, orchards, vines, glasshouses and vehicles, as well as make driving conditions hazardous.