New Zealand experiences several tornadoes each year, with current estimates ranging from 7 to 10. This article contains a list of notable tornadoes recorded in New Zealand.
Climatology and background
A tornado refers to a violently rotating column of air that reaches the ground, which can be among the most destructive of all atmospheric phenomena. Each year, there are 7–10 damaging tornadoes that touch down in New Zealand, occurring mostly along the west coast of both islands. Tornadoes in New Zealand most often form from squall lines ahead of cold fronts, which have the potential to spawn mesocyclones capable of tornadogenesis. Tornadoes in the country are usually short-lived, narrow, and weak. However, the country's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) assessed the 1948 Frankton tornado as an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, making it New Zealand's strongest known tornado. The 1948 tornado was also its most impactful, with 200 buildings damaged, as well as a rare deadly tornado in the country, with three deaths.
Most tornadoes in New Zealand fall within the EF0 to EF1 range, with wind speeds typically not exceeding 178 km/h. Occasional EF2 tornadoes are observed, but these are rare. The most severe tornado on record was an EF3, which struck Frankton, Hamilton in 1948.
Events Tornado EventDateAreaTornadoesCasualtiesNotesF# Parnell tornado December 1863 Parnell 1 0 fatalities, numerous injuries A tornado passed through part of Auckland suburb of Parnell, destroying every building and tree it came across, causing a total of £5,000 in damage.pg. 5. South Australian Weekly Chronicle. Saturday 5 December 1863FU Kaitaia tornado 26 August 1942 Kaitaia 1 1 fatality, 8 injuries A tornado struck the town of Kaitaia in the Northland Region and damaged or destroyed numerous buildings in the town. A bus and car were also tossed into the air and destroyed. One person was killed and eight others were injured.FU Frankton (Hamilton) tornado 25 August 1948 Waikato 1 3 fatalities, 80 injuries The F2 or F3 rated tornado caused damage or destruction to 163 buildings and 50 businesses, causing about £1,000,000 in property damage ($65,434,000 in 2010 dollars).F2/F3 Bay of Plenty tornado 28 May 1968 Ōmokoroa, Bay of Plenty 1 0 fatalities, 0 injuries A tornado ripped across the Bay of Plenty coastline near Tauranga, affecting Ōmokoroa, Pukehina Beach and Paengaroa. Several homes were heavily damaged in Pukehina Beach, including a newly built two-story home that was flattened. No casualties were reported.FU Halswell tornado 19 January 1983 Halswell, Christchurch 1 0 fatalities, unknown injured This tornado was part of a severe storm that struck Christchurch. Authorities did not believe reports made by citizens, as few buildings were damaged.FUAuckland Region tornadoes 24 April 1991 Auckland region 4 0 fatalities, unknown injured Tornadoes and high winds impacted portions of the Auckland region, causing significant damage to homes and businesses. A tornado at Pouto Point injured at least two people and heavily damaged a wooden marae hall, leaving behind only the floor and concrete steps. An empty house and a woolshed were also wrecked. Damage in Pouto Point was estimated at NZ$1 million. Tornadoes were also reported in Dairy Flat, Port Charles, and Albany. Trees were blown down in Dairy Flat, damaging three cars and injuring two occupants.FU Albany tornado May 1991 Albany 1 1 fatality, unknown injured A local church destroyed. One man driving a bulldozer was killed by flying debris.FU Waitara tornado 15 August 2004 Taranaki 1 2 fatalities, 2 seriously injured The casualties occurred when a farmhouse was demolished by the tornado. Several power lines were taken out, affecting 6,662 consumers and 1,200 homes. Media reports included debris 'spread over an area 400 metres long by 50 metres wide', although other media outlets described the track length as being greater than . The tornado was assessed as F3 on the Fujita scale, making it the strongest on record in New Zealand.F3Auckland tornado22 December 2004Auckland10 fatalities, 0 injuriesIn Penrose and Mount Wellington six houses were damaged and a truck was moved by the winds.FU Greymouth tornado 10 March 2005 West Coast 1 0 fatalities, 6 injuries The path of devastation was approximately long and wide. It had an F1 rating with winds speeds of around 180 km/h. It was estimated that the tornado lasted 10 seconds. The insurance industry payouts for the tornado was NZ$9,200,000 (2005 money). Two tornadoes touched down in Greymouth within two years. Up to 30 people were made homeless. Six people received injuries from the tornado. Two people were admitted to hospital with moderate injuries, and one was treated and discharged. The St John's ambulance treated another three people for minor cuts and bruises. One woman was injured when the tornado flipped over the campervan she was sitting in. A 12-tonne truck was overturned along with a number of cars. West Coast is one of the most tornado-prone areas of New Zealand.F1 Waimate tornado 3 March 2006 Waimate 1 0 fatalities, 0 injuries A strong tornado impacted rural properties to the southeast of Waimate along a path. A historic two-story home lost its roof and second floor. The tornado also ripped apart grain silos and sheds. Several head of livestock were killed, and five people were left homeless.FU New Plymouth tornado 4 July 2007 New Plymouth 1 0 fatalities A series of tornadoes ripped through the New Plymouth district of New Zealand, damaging 50 homes and rendering 70–80% of them uninhabitable. One person was injured, and several were trapped inside vehicles by powerlines.FU Waikouaiti tornado 4 January 2009 Waikouaiti 1 0 fatalities A tornado struck approximately one kilometre south of the township, damaging the roof of a farmhouse and knocking limbs off trees. FU Auckland tornado 3 May 2011 Auckland 1 1 fatality, 14 injuries A tornado struck the Auckland suburb of Albany, killing one person and injuring many others.FU New Plymouth tornadoes 19 June 2011 New Plymouth 2 confirmed, 1 unconfirmed 0 fatalities Two tornadoes struck New Plymouth, damaging businesses in the Central Business District, St Mary's Church Hall, and a hotel.FUKapiti Coast tornado9 July 2011Waikanae10 fatalities, "several" injuriesA tornado caused several trees to fall over, several rooves to come off buildings, windows to smash and power lines to fall over, which caused a power outage.FU Auckland tornado 6 December 2012 Auckland More than 1 3 fatalities, at least 7 injuries A tornado struck the Auckland suburb of Hobsonville, killing three people and injuring at least seven others.FUAmberley tornado23 February 2014Amberley10 fatalities, 1 injuryA tornado struck areas near the North Canterbury town of Amberley, damaging multiple homes and uprooting trees and power poles. The tornado was accompanied by large hail, lightning, and strong winds. One person was injured in the storm.FUMt Maunganui tornado13 May 2015Mt Maunganui10 fatalitiesA tornado struck the Tauranga suburb of Mt Maunganui, damaging homes and the nearby Baypark Stadium.FUMotunui tornado18 June 2018Motunui10 fatalities, 0 injuriesA tornado formed in Motunui near the Methanex Plant at 2:10 PM. A driver that was driving along State Highway 3 at the time stated that the tornado crossed the road half a kilometre ahead of him. The driver then recorded the tornado, spinning across open fields. Methanex Stuart McCall stated that the Methanex Plant had suffered minor damage.FUAshburton/Fairton tornado18 November 2018Ashburton/Fairton10 fatalities, 0 injuriesA large landspout tornado was filmed from multiple angles as it touched down near Ashburton and Fairton. The tornado remained over open fields, though it caused damage to farm implements and trees. The same storm system also produced marble-sized hail and strong winds.FUCoopers Beach tornado5 June 2019Coopers Beach10 fatalitiesA tornado struck the town of Coopers Beach and caused damage to 15 homes, leaving two to be deemed uninhabitable.FUNorth Island tornadoes11–12 August 2019North Island40 fatalities, 2 injuriesFour tornadoes struck the North Island over two consecutive days. Tornadoes struck Auckland and the Taranaki Region, causing major damage. Severe thunderstorms also produced large 'spiky' hail, lightning and heavy rain. Two people were injured by the tornadoes.FU Christchurch tornado 18 November 2019 Christchurch 1 2 injuries An EF0 tornado struck Christchurch and lasted for 15 minutes, injuring two people and causing widespread damage.F0Papamoa tornado27 June 2020Papamoa10 fatalitiesA tornado struck the Tauranga suburb of Papamoa in the early morning and caused some damage to homes. The tornado also sent a trampoline flying across a main road into some trees lining the carpark of a local supermarket.FUNapier tornado14 April 2021Napier1unknown injuredA waterspout tornadic system briefly made landfall in Napier. The tornado did not produce any significant damage. There are videos of the tornado from views along Marine Parade and near the Napier Port.FUPapatoetoe tornado19 June 2021Auckland11 fatality, 2 injuriesA tornado struck the Papatoetoe district in South Auckland. The tornado damaged roofs, trees and shipping containers. A worker at Wiri Station was killed, while two others were injured. About 1,200 homes were affected by the tornado, 60 of which were deemed to be uninhabitable.FULevin tornado19 May 2022Horowhenua10 fatalities, 1 injuryThe tornado in Levin caused damage to 51 properties, including 17 residential properties. Of this 51, 20 were red-stickered. By 6 July, there had been $8.1 million in insurance claims.FUKāpiti tornadoesJune 2022Kāpiti30 fatalities, 1 injuryOn 1 June two reported tornadoes went through Waikanae, Paraparaumu and Otaihanga, with the first tornado damaging five properties. On 9 a tornado went through the Kāpiti Coast and caused damage to about six homes in Waikanae, five homes in Paraparaumu, as well as to businesses. At least one person was injured.FUTongariro National Park tornado27 February 2023 Tongariro National Park10 injuriesA weak tornado was seen over the national park.FUNew Zealand tornadoes9–11 April 2023East Auckland, Tasman District, Waitara, Paraparaumu41 injuryOn 9 April a tornado in East Auckland caused damage to about 51 properties. On 10 April a tornado in the Tasman District caused damage to about 50 properties. On 11 April a tornado in Waitara, Taranaki, caused a home's roof to lift off. Later that day a tornado in Paraparaumu caused damage to about 20 properties and injured one person.FULower Hutt tornado12 December 2023Wellington10 fatalities, 6 injuriesSix people were injured in the central city as what was described as a tornado that blew in store windows, ripped up roofs, toppled fences, battered buildings and dragged buses along the street.FUMangawhai tornado26 January 2025Mangawhai10 fatalities, 2 serious injuriesA tornado and severe storm hit Mangawhai and the surrounding areas, causing two serious injuries, at least four homes to be destroyed, damage to about 50 properties, and about 4700 homes to lose power.FULevin tornado8 April 2025Horowhenua10 fatalities, 0 injuriesTornado in Levin at about 7:45 am that took off roofs and knocked over fences. No injuries or fatalities have been reported.FUHamilton tornado30 May 2025Hamilton10 fatalities,