THE STORM.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18550, 27 November 1925, Page 8

THE STORM.

RAIN, HAIL, AND SNOW. A WINTRY VISITATION. The summer weather which seemed to ibe coming aloUg nicely slipped back suddenly into winter yesterday. A south-west wind brought driving rain over the City on Wednesday night, and it continued steadily till 3.30 a.m. The sky cleared for a time, but there was a downpour between 1 and 2 o'clock, and about 4.15 p.m. rain set in again, and the night.was wot. Hail fell at intervals, and the atmosphere was extremely cold. There were falls of snow on Mt. Herbert and on the Akaroa hills. Tho mild weather experienced lately in North Canterbury -book a sudden change yesterday. The wind came up from the south, and about 1 o'clock hail fell for about two hours, followed by light enow. Tho hail was very heavv from Waipara northwards, tho whole of tho country being covered with a white mantle. At tho Weka Pass the hills reminded one of midwinter. At Hawardcn and Balmoral the •>. ~v,.. h-inn- inches thick ■gainst the hedges and buildings. All the hills around were clothed in white. After a spei! of dry weather welcome rain feil at Rakaia on Wednesday night, 52 points being registered. Yesterday morning the weather was fine, but later heavy clouds gathered, and at mid-day showers of hail fell, accompanied by thunder and lightning. In a short time tho ground was white, and tho weather became much colder. Later in the afternoon heavy rain set in from tho south-west, and at live o'clock 33 points had fallen. Steady rain was still falling, and the weather was very cold.

The spell of dry weather at Sefton broke on Wednesday night, when a sou'-wester blew up, accompanied by a heavy shower lasting about an hour. Yesterday afternoon;a severo thunderstorm came tup with a tall of hail. This developed into a steady downpour, which will be most beneficial to the crops. Tho district was very hadly in need of rain.

•Welcome rain set in at Ashley Bank yesterday morning, and in the afternoon was followed by a thunderstorm, accompanied ifay vivid flashes of lightning. Much more • rain is needed, however. The ground is very hard and dry, and the crops in a number of cases were beginning to show signs of the dry spell. Rain hap been badly needed for sometime at Oust. With tho crops coming into ear the prospect looked very serious for fanners, and when sou'westers came up they were dry. However, yesterday thunderstorms broke. Although uot too heavy to do much damage, hail and rain fell, and the country already looks fresher. As a result of the thunderstorm, some of tho telephones are out of order. After a succession of pleasant summer days, the weather changed rather unexpectedly at Akaroa on Wednesday afternoon. A cold southerly blew up, bringing with it, later in the day, heavy rain that fell for several hours during tho night. The morning showed quite a sprinkling of snow on the tops of the ranges, this being the second light fall of snow during the month. After a spell of dry weather, a change came along at Kirwoe on Wednesday night, when the wind came up from the south-east, and rain fell heavily for a time, 31 points being registered yesterday morning. The weather then cleared, but soon after 10 o'clock there was more rain and hail. Shortly after mid-day a strong gale blew up from the south-west, and tho weather turned bitterly cold. Thunder was also heard in the distance. The rainfall will benefit the crops, but a thorough soaking is urgently needed. A number of oat crops are now in ear, and moisture is required to get a little more length of straw and to fill out the grain.

SNOW AT OXFORD. LIGHTNING DOES CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE. A very severe thunderstorm, with dangerous lightning and deafening crashes of thunder, passed over tho Oxford district ycaterdaj'. Five telephone poles in the neighbourhood of Mr E. G. Wills's property were shattered to splinters by lightning. Several chains of fencing were defstroyed, and in one place about 12 chains of telephone wire have entirely disappeared—no doubt fused by lightning. At the residence of Mr R. McConnell the telephone was damaged and the house wall blackened. The storm was accompanied by very heavy hail, with some snow, covering the ground with a white carpel two or three inches in depth. The afternoon was excessively cold, and the hills in the district arc covered with snow. Rain fell towards nightfall, and the temperature was still very low. Tho cold snap will probably cause losses among newly-shorn sheep.

TREE BLASTED. SEVERE LIGHTNING AT MOUNT THOMAS. The electrical storm was very severe at Mount Thomas. A big wellingtonia tree, 80 feet high, with a girth of 26 feet at tho base, was struck by lightiiing, split from top to bottom, and absolutely torn to pieces. _ Large splinters wore hurled in all directions, and some pieces were picked up 140 feet away. SNOW IN DUNEDIN. (PRESS ASSOCIATION TEIJSGaAM.) DUNEDIN, November 26. Tho .unseasonable weather during the past few days became even more trying to-day, hail and sleet falling. The bills around tho city are covered with a light coating of snow.