An Auckland man says he is lucky to be alive after a power pole smashed down just metres from his car as a tornado ripped through. 

The incident happened down the road from a building in Avondale that collapsed during the wild weather hitting the Auckland region today. 

Auckland remains under a severe thunderstorm watch as forecasters warn that torrential downpours will continue for the rest of the morning. 

Blockhouse Bay resident Chaitanya Nerkar said he was returning from dropping his child at kindergarten when he decided to take a video for his wife showing how bad the weather was. 

“I felt like it was kind of a cyclone. I was in the cyclone. You know, you see the rain, you see the wind ... it’s like a completely blurry thing. 

The power pole slammed down just in front of Chaitanya Nerkar's car. Photo / Chaitanya Nerkar 

“The car was vibrating. It’s like the thing you see in the movies.” 

He said all of a sudden, a power pole slammed down in front of him. It was just metres from crushing his car. 

“I was frozen, I saw my life flash before my eyes, I thought I was going to die.” 

He said he was feeling “shaken” after the incident. 

At the same time the power pole came down, Fire and Emergency were racing to a commercial premises just down the road after reports that it had collapsed. 

Fire and Emergency assistant commander Dave Hatton said a small tornado blew through Blockhouse Bay, sending debris flying through the air. 

A building was severely damaged in Avondale this morning as a result of the storm. Photo / Hayden Woodward 

Another Fire and Emergency spokesperson said they were called at 9.30am after reports that the single-story building had partially collapsed. 

They sent two ladder trucks, a hazmat command unit and rescuers to look inside the building. 

The spokesperson said they were unsure if anyone was inside at the time it collapsed, but there were no reports of injuries. 

Fire crews are cleaning the scene following a strong gust of wind, Great North Rd Avondale. Photo / Hayden Woodward. 

He also said there was some difficulty getting to the scene as power lines blocked many of the roads. 

Hatton said crews at the nearby Avondale fire station heard a “bang” and self-responded to the incident. 

Auckland remains under a severe thunderstorm watch until 1pm today, with further warnings that torrential rain may cause “extremely hazardous” driving conditions. 

Many residents were reporting on social media seeing a “mini tornado” in the Avondale area, but MetService could not confirm the reports. 

However, MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden said 77km/h gusts had blown through the area about 9am this morning.