Houses and shops have flooded and the Dunedin Urgent Doctors is closed after this afternoon's violent downpour.

The Dunedin City Council said it had received more than 75 calls after the heavy rain and responded to 14 houses affected by flooding.

Accurate rainfall data is not yet available, but estimates the DCC has received are that 9.5mm fell in 15 minutes.

There was isolated flooding throughout the city, in particular on George St and St Andrew St.

Playfair St, Oxford St, Surrey St, Forbury Rd, Bayview Rd and Glen Rd were flooded, as was the area around Wharf and Fox Sts. Parts of Mosgiel and Kaikorai also had surface flooding.

Hailstones rained down on Cumberland St. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery

A ceiling tile came down in the staff room of the doctors' centre in Hanover St and the x-ray room has also been affected by flooding.

It will be closed until tomorrow and patients have been advised to either contact Healthline 0800 611 116 or contact their GP. If it is an emergency, they should go to the emergency department.

Radiology student Eve Levett (19) cleans up at the Urgent Doctors in Hanover St. Photo: Gregor Richardson

Shops in the Golden Centre and Meridian malls were also affected, with reports of ceiling tiles coming down.

Golden Centre general manager Simon Eddy said the mall closed for about 45 minutes following "a little bit of flooding'' to the facility. He anticipated all stores would be re-opened on Tuesday.

The mall was closed to ensure customer safety due to wet and slippery floors, he said.

"It's exactly what we would anticipate would be likely to happen with that amount of water falling.''

The Fire Service was called to more than 20 jobs related to the downpour.

The Dunedin City Library was evacuated for about 45 minutes after water leaked into a light fitting on the ground floor but reopened later in the day.

A DCC spokeswoman said floodwaters were receding quickly.

Jazz singer Annemarie Nelson, who less than a week ago returned to Dunedin after 19 years away, said she was shocked to see Somerville St in the suburb of Waverley turned in to a river by the downpour.

Sweltering to soaking

New Zealand was getting a mixed bag of weather today, ranging from sweltering heat in the north, to rain and wild winds elsewhere.

Parts of the South Island experienced heavy rain, including Dunedin, North Otago and Fiordland. The Westland Ranges could get up to 140mm.

Gale-force winds with gusts up to 120km/h whipped parts of central New Zealand. In Wellington, inner harbour ferry sailings were cancelled this morning due to strong winds.

At the same time, eastern and northern regions of the North Island were set to swelter, with temperatures in the mid-30s as air from Australia's heatwave causes havoc with our weather.

MetService issued a number of weather warnings across the country.

Severe gales were expected from Marlborough to Wairarapa, including Tararua with damaging winds of up to 140km/h possible.

In the North Island, the Tararua Range was expected to come in for yet another summer deluge, with up to 180mm falling by the afternoon.

- additional reporting NZME