Severe winds have rattled the Lower North Island this morning

State Highway One in Levin is closed due to the smell of gas following extremely strong winds, and locals are reporting downed trees and power lines.

Otaki MP Terisa Ngobi says they've been badly impacted.

She says a mini tornado came through Levin at 6:30 this morning ... leaving a lot of damage.

MetService Meteorologist Lewis Ferris says Levin isn't the only place that needs to watch out for the weather.

Ferris says there's also severe thunderstorm watches in place between Wellington and Waikato.