Customers were forced to shop in the dark at the Countdown supermarket in Mornington, in the hill suburbs southwest of Dunedin's centre.

A woman has been taken to hospital with serious injuries after a tree fell on her in Dunedin.

The incident was one of many emergency services were called to as high winds battered the city on Monday.

Emergency services were called to Albany St, close to the University of Otago campus, about 3.45pm.

HAMISH McNEILLY/STUFF Strong winds caused power outages all across Dunedin, including at the Countdown supermarket in Mornington.

Send your photos and video of the wild weather to newstips@stuff.co.nz

Police said a woman had been hit by a fallen tree.

READ MORE:

* Weather: 'Widespread damage' as Manawatū hit with gale-force winds

* Two people injured, buildings damaged, asbestos warning after tornado hits Christchurch

* Power outages, road closures across Auckland due to high winds

Richard Cosgrove Dunedinites are battling high winds in the city, with a woman who was seriously injured when a tree fell on top of her. (File photo)

A St John spokeswoman said the woman taken to Dunedin Hospital in a serious condition.

Firefighters attended 45 weather-related incidents in the Dunedin area between 2.30pm and 8pm, Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman Lyn Crosson​ said.

Most notably, roofs had started to lift off several houses on Kenmure Rd, near English Ave, and trees were down on powerlines or powerlines were down over the road, she said.

Lines company Aurora Energy said the wind had cut power to properties in 18 suburbs across the city as of 7.30pm.

"Our crews are working as quickly as safely possible to locate the faults and restore power to affected suburbs in Dunedin," it said.

"Please keep clear of fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment and treat them as live at all times. To report downed power lines, or trees in power lines, please contact Aurora Energy on 0800 22 00 05.

"We urge people to keep safe around electricity and securely fix trampolines, outdoor furniture and other heavy items to the ground."

The MetService website said winds were expected to ease in Dunedin on Monday night, but Timaru and Christchurch could be in for strong winds and thunderstorms later in the evening.

Elsewhere in the country, powerlines across the Manawatū were down due to strong winds, affecting more than 7000 people.