A tornado hit Cambridge without warning at about 3:00am on the 17th.

Damage was widespread and debris was scattered throughout the area. The tornado brought down trees and powerlines, leaving them sprawled on the ground. An 80-year-old oak tree was uprooted and one resident had a budgie aviary blow away and disappear.

More than 100 houses had lost or damaged roofs, with major damage to 15 to 20 houses. Many cars were also damaged. A hotel lost its roof, as did the BP Service station. The Cambridge Soccer Club was also badly damaged: there was severe damage to the roof, leaving rain dripping through an open ceiling, all the windows were blown out, a door was snapped in two, chairs were upturned, half a wall was missing from the kitchen, team photo frames were smashed and three concrete flood lights on the grounds were knocked over.

Oakdale Rest Home on the corner of Tennyson and Browning Streets was one of the worst hit sites. It lost a section of its roof and the tornado also blew out manholes and a water main burst, causing flood damage to several residents' rooms. Twelve residents had to be moved elsewhere while the roof was repaired and the flood water pumped out.

3500 Waipa Networks customers lost power for a few hours as a result of the tornado. More than 120 properties in the Alpha St-Grey St area were still without power at 8am. Power was also cut to the fire station during the night.

The tornado lasted for less than five minutes.

The tornado came from the west, travelled in a near straight line through the middle of the town and swept eastwards out of town.

Emergency services received around 30 calls between 3 and 3.30am.

A frontal system passing over the Waikato.

Residents said it sounded like a heavy truck thundering through the area and eyewitnesses reported seeing a funnel of dust.

Late on the afternoon of the 17th, the council declared six houses uninhabitable, but none were written off. Most of these houses had lost all or a good part of their roofs and could not have power restored until the damage was repaired. One Leamington house was so badly water-damaged that the residents were still unable to move back in as at the 1st November.

Insurance claims following the tornado in Cambridge were $1.03 million.

About $1500 worth of damage was done to a car when a tree fell on it.