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Thousands of lightning strikes, reports of tornadoes, freakishly high winds and hail the size of golf balls.
For some it was a frightening and tragic start to Friday; a woman has died after being hit by a falling tree in Cambridge, while she was trying to shelter from a flash storm.
And Levin locals were rocked by what they describe as a tornedo, that ripped through parts of the town.
To explain what's been happening weatherwise, MetService meteorologist Raveen Das.