Conditions over Canterbury late yesterday deteriorated rapildly for Ashburton folk as a hailstorm moved in, causing some alarm.

Thunder and lightning accompanied the storm and damage to cars in caryards, broken windows and smashed street lights were reported.

It wasn’t long lasting but further north today there is a risk for eastern parts of the North Island to cop a pasting.

Another front moving over the mainland later tomorrow may see further turbulence, as the cold air clashes with the warmer northerly flow ahead of the front.

Hailstorms are not that uncommon for late spring, however they can be  difficult beasts to predict where they will exactly form. In New Zealand, any part of the country is vulnerable and often spring and summer are the seasons for the chilly visitor.

Further afield and on Sunday, severe storms hammered the Gold Coast and Brisbane region with reports of hailstones being the size of golf balls and in some cases, tennis balls. Damage was quite widespread and thousands of homes were without power as a number of severe storms headed east across Queensland.

Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in the United States often contain massive hailstones causing major damage to crops , property and people. As we are a smaller nation, our hail storms don’t tend to be as intense or damaging, compared some of the larger countries around the globe.