HEAVY RAIN IN PROVINCE

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21727, 9 March 1936, Page 10

HEAVY RAIN IN PROVINCE

STORM -FOLLOWS COLD CHANGE SNOW FALLS IN HIGH COUNTRY LIKELIHOOD OF FLOODS IN SOME DISTRICTS After the fine weather on Saturday there was a heavy fall of rain, which began as a light drizzle in Jhe evening and continued to fall steadily all day yesterday. The rain was general in the city and in the country districts, and was accompanied in some places by snow. There was a cold south-west wind. The rain fell heavily in the south of the province, especially in the Waimate district, but came only in brief but heavy showers in the north. At Kaikoura there were intervals of sunshine. No flooding was reported, though the rain late' last evening was falling so heavily that it seemed that continuation for any long period might again bring serious floods to parts of the province. In many places where the soil had reached saturation point water lay on the ground. The setback which harvesting has already received was accentuated, and stacking and threshing, which had been made ? possible in many places after the dry spell towards the end of the week had to be suspended. Further damage to grain in stock is anticipated through sprouting. In Christchurch 88 points of rain had fallen by midnight last night. The rain, as in other parts of the province, was accompanied by a south-west wind, which Sprang up on Saturday evening, and the weather was cold and wintry. Yesterday the Avon and the Heathcote were very muddy and had risen considerably, though no rise was reported in the Ashley, the Conway, or the Mason. Snow at Porter’s Pass Snow fell in some districts. There was a fall of six inches on the road at Porter’s Pass late yesterday afternoon, and travellers coming from the West Coast, where the weather was very hot, found difficulty in getting through by car. Snow was seen on the foothills at Waiau and on the hills at the back of Oxford. A heavy fall lay on the top of the Hunter range near Waimate at midday yesterday. Hail showers fell both at Waimate and Timaru. The wind caused rough seas in some places. At Timaru heavy seas were running along the coast from Saturday evening, and yesterday white combers pounded over the eastern extension; and the seas beat against Dashing Rocks north of Caroline Bay. The New Zealand Shipping Company’s liner Turakina, from Liverpool, direct, arrived in the roadstead at Timaru yesterday morning, and shortly after 11 o’clock, the harbourmaster, Captain H. C. White, went out to bring her into port.' A big sea was running and it soon became worse,so that, apparently realising that nothing was to be gained by entering port in such conditions, as work could not be begun by the watersiders until this morning, Captain White remained on board. He will pilot the Turakina into her berth early this morning if conditions have moderated sufficiently in the meantime.

The sea was very rough at Akaroa, where there was a strong wind and the weather was very cold. Though there was considerable rain on the peninsula, there was no sign of flooding and' the creeks had not risen, though at. Little River there was a considerable amount of water lying about. Water also lay heavily on the ground at Leeston, where saturation noint had been reached.

Effect ou Crops

Though the continued wet weather has been very unfavourable to farmers the crops have not been so severelv damaged as has been expected, and in some cases where a loss of 50 per cent, was expected it has only been 10 per cent. The loss has varied according to the variety of the grain. Barley, which was late this year because of the late spring, has been seriously damaged through sprouting’ in stook, especially near Leeston. It is of no use for malting when this has taken place, and can only be used as feed. There has been considerable sprouting of grain in stook at Methven, and it is not worth harvesting. Potato crops have rotted where floods have taken place, some varieties of white potatoes being more readily affected. In some places where there has been no flooding, however, root crops have benefited.