Otago escaped yesterday's forecast major thunderstorms, with only North Otago benefiting from yesterday's cooler weather change.
A severe thunderstorm watch was issued by MetService for the east coast of Otago, Southland and South Canterbury yesterday as daytime heating and wind convergences were expected to trigger showers and scattered thunderstorms with large hail.
However, by late yesterday afternoon the cooler front only produced lightning strikes and some hail in North Otago near the coast.
MetService forecaster Chelsea Glue said temperatures had dropped throughout the region by mid-afternoon to the mid-to-late teens, lowering the risk of thunderstorms as the next front arrived late yesterday.
Oamaru received 5.8mm of rain, mostly between 2pm and 3pm yesterday, while Dunedin city got just 0.6mm and the airport's gauge did not pick any rain up at all, she said.
While Alexandra had received no rain by late yesterday, Roxburgh had recorded 2.8mm.
Down the road, Millers Flat had 5.8mm. Further inland, Queenstown had received 14.8mm in the past 18 hours but Wanaka recorded only 3.2mm of rainfall.
