WELLINGTON, Nov 11 (Bernama-Xinhua) — Severe thunderstorms accompanied by torrential rain and hail struck parts of New Zealand’s North Island on Wednesday, prompting flood warnings and a rescue operation after several vehicles became trapped in floodwaters, Xinhua reported.
Emergency services were called to several roads in the Waikato region at about 3.30 pm local time following reports of vehicles becoming stranded in floodwaters, Radio New Zealand reported.
Meteorological Service of New Zealand detected severe thunderstorms over South Waikato at 1.37 pm.
The storms were expected to bring torrential rain and hail, potentially causing surface flooding and flash floods near streams and in urban areas, as well as making driving conditions dangerous, the report said.
— BERNAMA-XINHUA