A storm that meteorologists described as being the size of Australia buffeted New Zealand Friday, prompting severe weather alerts across most of the country and warnings of localised tornadoes. The official MetService said gale-force winds of up to 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour were lashing some areas, including the capital Wellington, accompanied by heavy rain, lightning and icy temperatures. 'Winds of this strength have the potential to lift roofs, topple trees and powerlines and make driving conditions hazardous,' it said. MetService also said there was a chance of tornadoes in 'very localised' areas. 'There might be a few small tornadoes turn up,' a spokesman told Radio New Zealand. Authorities said there were more than 100 lightning strikes in the Wellington region, temporarily cutting power to 3,600 homes. Privately-owned forecaster weatherwatch.co.nz said the storm in the Southern Ocean was one of the largest currently on the planet, with a size roughly equivalent to Australia. Weatherwatch analyst Philip Duncan said that while the storm's centre was likely to remain about 1,000 kilometres west of New Zealand, the country would experience extreme weather for three or four days. Duncan said the winds were likely to come in unpredictable squalls, advising: 'These Southern Ocean storms tend to fire up a number of aggressive but fairly short-lived fronts.' He said Christchurch, which was hit by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake two weeks ago, could expect high winds but the city should escape the worst of the weather. 