Wild winds tearing through North Canterbury have ripped the roof off a home as severe gusts battered the region.

Oxford resident Jade Teki-Stewart, who was inside the house when the roof came off, said the force of the wind was “unimaginable.”

“We were in the far room and I saw something fly past the window,” she said.

“I was like, ‘the roof’s come off!’, and you could hear it. I would never want to be in a hurricane.”

A roof was blown off a house south of Oxford in Canterbury in high winds. Photo / Mike Thorpe

Jade said her family had been monitoring the conditions using a small wind meter before the damage occurred.

“We only clocked them at 109km/h, but it must be more than that,” she said.

“That was the shortest gust we saw, and then the roof came off, so it must have picked up.”

Despite the destruction, all three people in the house escaped uninjured.

“We’re all good,” she said.

“It was like what you’d imagine a hurricane was, we’re just lucky that the windows didn’t blow. We have windows on that side and that’s what we thought would go, rather than the roof.”

High winds are causing havoc in Canterbury with power outages, downed trees, roofs blown off. Photo / Ben Tomsett

The family has since begun cleaning up, with friends and relatives heading out to help clear debris before winds strengthen again.

She said trees had been toppling nearby just before the roof lifted off. “We were watching those trees come down one after the other, and we were like, ‘oh no, all the [neighbour’s] deer are gonna get out... and then our roof went.”

She said the storm had also blown a water tank onto the property.

Wild weather has been rampaging across the South Island and lower North Island today, with severe weather warnings throughout the country.

In Hanmer Springs, 50 properties are being evacuated as a precaution due to a large vegetation fire.

Fire and Emergency crews are battling the blaze on Medway Rd, where Hurunui District Council is helping residents evacuate.

High-end wedding venue, Braemar Lodge and Spa is among those affected.

Access to Hanmer Springs village is blocked due to State Highway 7A being closed - evacuees are being told to go to Hanmer Springs Attractions Jet Boat base.

A vegetation fire at Hanmer Springs in Canterbury where high winds are causing havoc. Photo / Gavin Martin

Potentially deadly winds of up to 150km/h are expected across the South Island today, with red strong wind warnings in place for Canterbury, Wellington and Wairarapa.

More than 100 flights have been cancelled, and a local state of emergency remains in effect for Canterbury as forecasters warn the worst may not be over.

Heavy rain warnings are also in force, with up to 150mm more rain expected in parts of the South Island.

Mike Thorpe is a senior multimedia journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch.