Thunderstorms, which occurred off Coastal Taranaki during Wednesday, can be a precursor to tornadoes forming, a Metservice spokesperson said (file photo). Two calves died after a small tornado struck a Coastal Taranaki farm on Wednesday morning. Four short videos of the tornado posted about 10am to the Extreme Weather Taranaki (EWT) Facebook page show smashed fences and a brief glimpse of two calves that appeared to have been struck. Metservice spokesman Angus Hines said waterspouts that formed out at sea became tornadoes if they formed on or moved on to land. “As with most that we get in New Zealand they are quite small compared to other parts of the world, but can still be damaging over their path.”

Source: Stuff August 18, 2021 04:52 UTC