'Large, damaging hail': Severe thunderstorm warning issued for Canterbury

Large and damaging hail could hit parts of Canterbury as severe thunderstorms sweep up part of the South Island.MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Selwyn, Ashburton and Christchurch City for Thursday evening."These thunderstorms are expected to be accompanied by large hail," MetService said."Large hail can cause significant damage to crops, orchards, vines, glasshouses and vehicles, and make driving conditions hazardous."A weather radar detected the storms near Leeston shortly after 5pm on Thursday, and they were forecast to land near Lincoln, Leeston, Lake Ellesmere, Springston and Tai Tapu at 5.45pm.The severe thunderstorms were expected to reach near Christchurch, Lyttelton and Banks Peninsula at 6.15pm.MetService has a severe thunderstorm watch in force for Christchurch and the Canterbury Plains until 8pm."They could be severe and accompanied by large, damaging hail, larger than 20mm diameter," MetService said.The National Emergency Management Agency advised people to take shelter indoors away from windows, avoid sheltering under trees, get back on land if anyone was on the water, move cars under cover or away from trees, secure any loose items around their home, check their gutters and drains were clear, and be ready to slow down or stop if they were driving.During and after the storm, the agency said people should beware of fallen power lines and trees, and avoid streams and drains in case there was flash flooding.