FORETASTE OF WINTER

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23300, 9 April 1941, Page 6

FORETASTE OF WINTER

Hailstorm Sweeps City

Christchurch had an unpleasant foretaste of winter yesterday. Early morning sunshine gave place to a threatening south-west sky and a marked lowering of the temperature, and shortly before noon there were light showers of rain and hail. The expected downpour was delayed, however, until nearly 5 o’clock, when, to the accompaniment of lightning and thunder, the busy city streets were swept by fierce southerly squalls and heavy falls of hail and rain.

Many city workers were caught without coats, and cyclists, particularly, had an unpleasant journey home. Trams and buses were crowded to capacity and taxis were in keen demand. The rainfall was particularly heavy between 5 and 6 o’clock and there was some flooding from overburdened side-channels. The rain later eased off to a lighter but steady fall, which continued throughout the evening. The southerly wind remained very cold, more typical of mid-winter than mid-autumn, and hail, which fell at intervals throughout the evening, remained as a slushy carpet on roads and footpaths. '