ICY BLASTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 133, 7 June 1932, Page 3

ICY BLASTS.

WINTER USHERED IN. SQUALLS AND SUNSHINE. TOTAL RAINFALL SLIGHT. Winter weather swept over the city yesterday and last night and the extent of the disturbance may be gauged from the fact that it was felt practically all over the province. After a line summer, autumn and early winter the rude shock of fierce squalls from the south-west, accompanied by driving rain and hail was all the more forcible. The storm definitely ushered in the winter.. When the south-west weather is bad it is notorious for its squalls, and another characteristic of it is that in between fierce gusts there are spells of bright sunshine and calm. Although yesterday was so gusty there were still live hours eix minutes of sunshine recorded. In normal times a south-wester dies down at nightfall, but when a gale is anywhere round the coast it pipes up worse than ever after dark. After susset last evening there were some howling equalls, thunder and lightning, and the drop in temperature explained the large hail stones that rattled on corrugated iron roofc and against window panes. Thermometer at 47. The wind blew with terrific force at times, and the record for the 24 hours ended this morning at nine o'clock was 232 miles. Snow fell heavily on the central plateau round about the National Park, and Auckland was aware of the fact this morning when the thermometer registered 47 degrees, the same as Wellington. Oddly enough, Tauranga, usually one of the warmest spots in the province, had the lowest reading of the North Island this morning, 44 degrees. The barometer in Auckland registered 29.80, compared with 29.7(5 yesterday morning, and there were also other signs that the worst of the gale is over and that the immense depression is passing away to the eastward. Although the rain squalls were so fierce, there was not as much rain as most people would imagine, the fall for the 24 hours up to 0 a.m. to-day being just over half an inch. There have been three wet days out of the seven this month, and the total fall has been an inch and a quarter. In spite of the force with which the squalls swept over the country, very little damage was done. Kumeu felt the full force of a heavy thunderstorm just after midnight, and this morning the telephone system was considerably upset, and a gang of men from the Telegraph Department was busy. Damage at Northcote Wharf. During last night's gale a scow owned by the Birkcnhead and Northcote Gas Co., berthed along the wharf at Northcote, was partially driven under the eastern end. The result was that the decking and combing of the jetty were raised about 3ft for a length of about 15ft. Repairs were effected this morning. The scow suffered little damage. A small subsidence occurred in the bituminiseel roadway at the entrance to the vehicular landing. RAIN AND HAIL SQUALLS. THUNDERSTORM IX NORTH. (By Telegraph.—Owu Correspondent.) WHANGAREI, this day. For the past two days cold, stormy weather has been experienced in Wliangarei and district. There have been heavy sou'-westerly winds, accompanied by heavy showers. Last night the storm reached its height in a severe electrical disturbance. About 11 p.m. a heavy thunderstorm came over and lasted till early morning. Vivid flashes of lightning were accompanied by heavy rolls of thunder with rain and hail squalls. It was very cold. The weather is still showery today, and although the wind has died down considerably it is still blowing strongly.