Tornadoes, power outages and heavy rain continue to batter the South Island

But amid that wild weather, a snow dump has timed perfectly with the start of the ski season.

Queenstown's Cardrona Alpine Resort's Laura Hedley says she can't wait for people to hit the slopes.

She says the beginners' slopes have opened, and they're hoping the weather will unlock more trails next week.

MetService has put more severe thunderstorm warnings in place, for western parts of the country tomorrow.