VIOLENT NOR'-WEST GALE.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14204, 18 November 1911, Page 6

VIOLENT NOR'-WEST GALE.

—« DAMAGE AT LYTTELTON. Thero was another violent thunderstorm at Lyttelton early yesterday morning. . The thunder was torrific, nnd tho lightning exceptionally vivid, and tho storm culminated in a torrential downpour of rain. Tho thunderstorm cleared the air for a few hours, and was then followed by a Loisterous nor'-west gale, which ran riot over ' tho harbour. Evidence of tho strength of tho gale- was afforded by the clouds of fine dust blown over tho hills from tho plains, causing a hazy appearance along tho south shore of the harbour. Tho naze outside the Heads completely enveloped tho Warrimop; which was coming from Wellington; until sho was within a mile or two of the harbour entrance. The gale played havoc with fruit trees in the orchards in Lyttelton and tho bays Tound the harbour. During the height of the storm a chimney in the Railway Social Hall at Lyttelton blown down, causing considerable damage to the roof of the building. Tho pile of bricks and debris crashed through the Galvanised iron roof on to the wood ceiling of tho billiard-room beneath. Fortunately, the boards stood the strain, although some nails were torn out, and pi-evented the bricks from falling on to and damaging the billiard table. A large pile of bricks fell on to the railway lines outside tho building, but just clear of tho "pas--icnaer train arrival" lHc. Nobody was injured by the falling chimney. The framework of a largo workshop, which was in course of erection in Mr A. T. Mutton's timber yard in Norwich quay, was severely damaged by tho galo, which blew down tho upper portion and tho roof beams of the strncturne. The cale was the worst experienced in Lyttelton for a number of years. The vagaries of the weather havo been very pronounced this spring, and a noticesble feature of the meteorological conditions has been the absence of nor , -westers, fruit and flowering ehrnbs showing the effects of the cold conditions by their comparative lateness. Yesterday, as if to make un in vehemence for its protracted arrival, a good old-fashioned nor'wester put in an appearance, .md locomotion in any form about the city was carried out under extremely disagreeable conditions. Tho city sprinklers and water-carts did their best in coping with the dust nuisance, but the combined effects of tho wind and the warmth did a great deal to neutralise their efforts. Karly yesterday an electrical disturbance ' occurred, tho rolling of the thunder being particularly prolonged. This was followed by steady rain, which, howe\ - er, was promptly succeeded by a further changeto conditions heralding the advent of a nor'-wester. The weather at Aehburton etill con-, tinues very changeable. On Thursday evening a slight shower of rain fell, but the clouds quickly dispersed, and late in the evening there, wa* every of a light irr.zx. In the anai' lionrs of Friday morning, however, a thunderstorm eventuated, tlie lightning lining particularly vivid and the thun•ler heavy. A Heavy fall of rain fol■oxvtd. 1(3 points registered at *he Domain meteorological station. ?.oon after dawn a nor'-wester sprang •in. and raged furiously ail day yosterb.y. The "'infinite variety' , is seriously ~ff ooting shearing operations, and the wind lias considerably • damaged fruit nnd flower gardens.