Foot Of Snow Falls In Southland

Press, Volume C, Issue 29553, 30 June 1961, Page 10

Foot Of Snow Falls In Southland

(N.Z Press Association) INVERCARGILL, June 29. Southland was in the grip of ’winter today when snow covered all but a narrow coastal belt of the province up to Ift I deep. Roads were blocked or made dangerous by snow and floods, and in many places rain, hail, sleet, and snow fell in succession. Schools were closed in many parts of northern and eastern Southland—about a dozen in all.

The worst-hit area for snow was Ohai-Nightcaps-Orawia. where near blizzard conditions prevailed all day. Stock losses are feared in the northern area of the province, where snow is deepest, but no substantial losses have been reported yet. Farmers were tonight keeping a close watch on the situation. Rivers are still full, but are dropping slowly. Trouble will come, it is expected, with the thaw. Some areas of the

province are already under water, and water has closed several roads. There has been a big number of minor road accidents—cars sliding off roads, and so on—but none of a serious nature was reported. Variety was the keynote in Invercargill. In the north of the city, snow lay to a depth of several inches. The central part of the city was covered with a crust of hail, which lay most of the day. In the south

of the city, it rained most of the time. A freak gust of wind which hit the Invercargill airport this afternoon damaged a Grumman Wigdeon amphibious aircraft, knocked down a large sign, and pushed a small, heavy aircraft refuelling tanker right across the tarmac. The gust tipped it over on one wing, breaking the struts holding the float to the wing.