storms

Reuters reports four people were missing following the twister, which left a trail of damage for more than 161km (100 miles).

The tornado struck Silver City, a town of 200 people in western Mississippi, as well as Rolling Fork, with a population of 1700, which was hardest hit. Parts of the state remain under tornado warning.

"At least twenty three Mississippians were killed by last night's violent tornados," Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves wrote on Twitter.

The deaths, most from falling trees, were reported in Italy and Austria, and on the French island of Corsica.

Heavy rain and winds wrecked campsites on the island, while in Venice, Italy, masonry was blown off the belltower of St Mark's Basilica.

The storms follow weeks of heatwave and drought across much of the continent.

In Corsica, winds gusting up to 224 km/h (140mph) uprooted trees and damaged mobile homes.

Authorities there said a 13-year-old girl was killed by a falling tree on a campsite.

MetService says former Cyclone Gita is expected to have a significant impact on much of central New Zealand over the next 24 hours.

The official forecaster said heavy rain was already falling from Taranaki southwards to the Marlborough Sounds, and was expected to spread over Buller, Nelson and the rest of Marlborough over the next few hours.

Strong winds were expected for the entire country from early this afternoon into this evening, with the potential for damaging wind gusts from Taranaki and Taihape south to Westland and Banks Peninsula, including Wellington.

The Storm are going to finish first on the NRL ladder regardless of the result on Saturday night, but with some player milestones, a departing legend and finals around the corner, the Melbourne centre says there's plenty to play for.

"We've still got a lot on the line," Chambers said. 

"You need to be playing good footy leading into the back end of the year, it’s crazy to think you've got nothing on the line.

In fact, the veteran hooker is even a small chance of playing in the Storm's next NRL match against Manly on Sunday.

There were fears Smith's season was over after the he was reduced to just 44 minutes - his lowest in eight years - in their win over the Raiders.

However, scans on Sunday confirmed the Australian captain could be back by the Storm's Round 23 clash against the Sydney Roosters at the latest.

"We were pleased to find out this afternoon Cameron has only suffered a minor tear to his pec," Storm football director Frank Ponissi said on Sunday.

RNZI reports the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) cancelled a severe weather warning for New South Wales, but flood warnings remained in place for many rivers around the state.

The wild weather prompted evacuation notices for Northern Lismore, Chipping Norton, Billinudgel, Ocean Shores, Golden Beach, New Brighton and Coffs Creek last night.

State officials said emergency services had received more than 8000 calls for help and carried out more than 250 flood rescues over 48 hours.

Heavy bursts of rain and gusty south-easterly winds are expected throughout the morning on Friday, before the rain eases to showers in the afternoon and into the weekend.

Weatherzone meteorologist Tristan Meyers said the Sydney basin was forecast to reach a top of 22 degrees on Friday, a far cry from the scorching 40-degree heat Sydneysiders endured before storms swept through about 2pm on Thursday.