File photoA calmer day is in store for parts of the South Island battered by hail and lashed by torrential downpours and lightning yesterday. In Ashburton, the council dispatched a contractor to clear street gutters after a big hail storm there. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) sent crews between Timaru and Fairlie to reports of hail blocking the road and cars being flooded. "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. "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."

Source: Otago Daily Times December 27, 2025 19:42 UTC