A HEAVY THUNDERSTORM.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14325, 10 April 1912, Page 4

A HEAVY THUNDERSTORM.

The fine weather.experienced during .he Easter holidays' came to an nbrurt end yesterday afternoon. Light rain fell about. '2 o'clock, hut shortly after thro.- l"j„ok clouds banked up and thunder !limbed om nously. I'res'r.tly th? s...r;v. i>.m'...•. A violon. hail s.icwor o.pcr.cti the enrag-Miiei... the thur-urr ;-o:::*.-d. and vivid iigr.tnlr.g f.;:.-hrd. j';k' ii...'l *.nvo way to iiir.ou.s rain, and th-• light...ug ar.d thunder routnncd. T':-.j rid-* ohanuc'i in the city were jaoon r.wnmj.cd nn<i in Cntliedral *-q.uare and at the..tree, coiners where the levels foil, .ho . fioriu water callcoicd. With liv.--tin;;, furious burst those abroad withoUl" overcoat or umbrella made .1$ grand rush to tbe nearest shelter, and. whilo th.-* worst of the «:onn lasted tiie .t/cot-i and uncovered sidewalks vere quite deer ted. P cnic parties mid day trippers to tho seaside fared badly. nUo lh<> crowd at the Riccarton rncccoiiine. The morninu «•„-; fo warm and bright that few took overcoats. The van continued with d'n.ini.shiiig foroa until alx>ut o o'clc: k. and ' the remainder of the ove.ii.'ig was damp and in:*: v. The downpour brought the bowlingmatches on t:;-> Canioruury green to an abrupt conclusion y:\st.'.d.«y afternoon. The ...o.'o.atcr". n'.-eniblcd under the verandah of the- pavilion, were treated lo a rather nu quo sight, in that tiie green was flooded before their eyes in a rompara:ive.y !c-,v minutes. Further play was out of the iHir.stion for that atteruro!..

After a very sultry morning, a heavy thunderstorm broke over Lyttelton uhavily after •'. p.m. yesterday, and fcr Fevora. hours there was a great eiownpour of rain. Tho .side channe.'s were flooded, and tho. ni«h of storm water scoured .;evera. of the ..tcep roadways in plr.ccs and carried a gcod deal of silt :nlo th« harb;:ur.

A .sharp thunder fchower passed orer North Canterbury yesterday afternoon. The rainfall at o p.m. for twenty nr'nutOK was .18in.

The weather in Ashburton was fine over the Easter holidays, but a fiinart shower at 2.30 yesterday morning proved but the precursor of a heavy fall later in the day. At one o'clock yesterday afternoon there was a miniature cloudburst, and peon after .5 p.m. steady rain set in. Tiiero was no appmranro of a clearance at the time of telegraphing (7 p.m.).