A Canterbury farmer says he saw a tornado surging through a paddock as a storm converged on parts of the region.

Parts of Canterbury were hit by thunder, lightning and hail late on Thursday afternoon, and a severe thunderstorm watch lifted in the evening.

Tommy Glanville said he saw a tornado from his tractor near Rakaia.

A storm near Rakaia in Canterbury on Thursday. Photo: Supplied / Lyla Arthurs

MetService said a "small transient tornado" was seen in parts of mid Canterbury based on the information it had.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand responded to a handful of weather-related callouts, including for a hail-damaged roof in Southbridge and lightning strikes in Lincoln which sparked two small fires.

Earlier, MetService warned large and damaging hail could hit parts of Canterbury as severe thunderstorms swept up part of the South Island.

"They could be severe and accompanied by large, damaging hail, larger than 20mm diameter," MetService said.

Hail in the Canterbury town of Leeston on Thursday. Photo: Supplied / Charlie Barraclough

 

"Large hail can cause significant damage to crops, orchards, vines, glasshouses and vehicles, and make driving conditions hazardous."

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.