Small tornado damages several properties on West Coast

Photo: Supplied

A small tornado appears to have touched down in Cobden on the South Island’s West Coast, damaging four properties.

A police spokesperson told Chris Lynch Media, at 12.50AM, a resident in Fox St, Cobden, called to report that windows had been blown in by what appeared to be a tornado.

While they were on the phone with people, the person reported their neighbour's roof had come off.

A police patrol also found a roof at the school had been partially lifted, though there are no reports of injuries.

The police spokesperson said they only had that one call about this wind event.

Fire and Emergency crews were also called to the scene to help secure property.

MetService meteorologist Jessie Owen said through last night and there was a line of very active showers which went through Greymouth and Hokitika around the time.

These would have been heavy showers and would have been quite squally and gusty.

“It is completely possible that a small tornado could have occurred, it’s hard for us to confirm that without photo/video evidence.

We haven’t been able to see conclusive evidence of a tornado in the radar echoes but it is plausible that a small one occurred, or it could have been a very squally shower which may have felt similar.”