A tornado has caused significant damage in Kapiti late Saturday afternoon.

Twitter user @mundens says “Waikanae by cell from friends: Pine trees ripped up cars tossed about emergency services attending”.

Hail / Melissa Waikane

Another @WeatherWatchNZ follower, Steve Biddle, says there has been damage to multiple homes in Paraparaumu.

MetService is predicting squalls with gusts to 110km/h in the area.  

WeatherWatch.co.nz is predicting squalls too and is the only weather forecaster to predict tornados today.

It’s still unclear if the damaging winds were due to a squall or a tornado.

But WeatherWatch.co.nz says the risk of isolated tornados will continue until as late as Tuesday.

The risk will continue tonight for damaging squalls and isolated tornadoes south of Taranaki mainly near the coastline.

On Sunday the risk will be the same but will extend a little further north into King Country.

For Monday and Tuesday the risk extends along the entire western coastline says WeatherWatch.co.nz.

In Kapiti locals say it was a terrifying few moments as the malevolent whirlwind tossed cars and pine trees about.

Police say there are reports of a van blown over on the State Highway.

A man in the van was injured.

The wind may have also lifted the roof from a house and blown debris onto the highway, blocking traffic.

One woman was blown over by high winds and others rushed to help her.

Local resident Laurie Petherick was out taking photographs of the storm and mini waterspouts, when he saw his elderly neighbour all of a sudden knocked to the ground.

He says she had been knocked out and there was a pool of blood around her head, but came to smiling, not knowing where she was.

Laurie Petherick says the whirlwind today was one of the worst he had ever seen.

– WeatherWatch.co.nz with NewstalkZB

---

Did you witness the damaging winds?  Post a comment and let us know.