A tornado has lifted or entirely removed 12 roofs off of homes in Tasman this afternoon, most being in the Upper Moutere area.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it's responding to calls for assistance after a tornado formed in the region at about 1.20pm.
"Approximately 50 properties have been impacted by the tornado that hit Tasman on Monday afternoon," FENZ said in a statement.
"There have been no reports of serious injuries following the weather event that hit at about 1.20pm, but roofs have been partially or fully lifted on many properties, while others have been impacted by fallen trees or powerlines being down."
"Additionally, a tree fell onto a car with a person inside in Mapua, but the person was able to get out of the car without requiring assistance and reported only minor abrasions."
Nelson local Alan Theunissen told 1News that just before the tornado, he had just arrived home to his daughter Sarah, was "absolutely saturated" and could feel the intensity of the wind rapidly picking up.
"The whole thing was probably over as fast as it came on... we realised as soon as we felt the pressure in our ears go, that this was a tornado-type event," he said
He said Sarah and him saw instantaneous "sheets of water and very high velocity winds", before they moved down into the valley below their home.
"Within five minutes it was blue sky! Everything [was] all upside down and all over the show!" he chuckled.
Sarah said she was "quite nervous" and froze when her dad mentioned the possibility of a tornado.
"We went outside after a while and it was pretty good... I feel great, I kinda wished it happened again!" she joked.
Fire and Emergency said it is responded to a number of incidents, including a tree that fell onto a car with a person inside. (Source: 1News)
SH60 blocked, locals advised to stay home
Nelson police said in a statement that there were no initial reports of injuries, "however police are urging people to stay safe indoors rather than risk further harm travelling to see the damage”.
In a statement, Nelson Tasman Civil Defence said, “Emergency services are responding to damage in the Upper Moutere area from the storm that has just passed over our region. They will be checking to make sure the area is safe, so please keep clear of the area at the moment”.
Waka Kotahi NZTA Top of the South on Twitter reported fallen trees at around 3pm on SH60 in Redwood Valley.
"SH60 north of Redwood Valley is down to one lane at this time. Crews are on-site, and STOP/GO is in place. Please expect DELAYS in the area at this time," the tweet read.
MetService, just before 1pm, put out a severe thunderstorm watch for Marlborough and Nelson until 3.30pm, warning of a possible small tornado.
On Twitter, the meteorological service warned of two other adjacent storms in the country - one moving towards the Kāpiti Coast and a slow-moving one just east of Taranaki.
Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said on Facebook said that he had a "wild trip home from Golden Bay" following the tornado, sharing images of damaged and toppled trees.
"Full support to our emergency services helping those affected," he said.
More to come.
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