Suburbs Escape Deluge

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30710, 27 March 1965, Page 1

Suburbs Escape Deluge

In one of the liveliest thunderstorms ever experienced in Christchurch, .84 inches of rain fell in the central city in little more than half an hour about 2 o’clock yesterday. While rain, hail, and thunder made speech outside almost inaudible in the business area and flooded the streets, most surrounding suburbs escaped rain entirely.

In many offices and shops, businessmen made telephone calls to their homes fearing damage from leaking roofs or overflowing spoutings. All were surprised to hear that the weather was “fair, almost fine.”

About 1.45 p.m. the usual Friday crowds were going about their business in the city, mostly without coats. Sunshine was weak. Without warning, rain began in a deluge, and soon it was accompanied by heavy hail which beat a loud tattoo on roof and car tops. Gutters overflowed, gratings to underground outlets became choked with earlyautumn leaves, and flood waters began to rise in most streets. Kerbsides where the road had a good camber had cars with water up to their axles.

Pavements without shelter were deserted.

The worst of the storm had

passed by 2.15 p.m. and the rain had stopped by about 2.30 p.m. But water took an hour or more to run away. At some intersections motor traffic Was unwilling to attempt a crossing for about 15 minutes after the storm. Some women wearing sandals and no stockings paddled through and found water almost up to their knees. Some men had to peel off shoes and stockings and roll up trousers to enter their parked cars. Yet no communications, power, or drainage services reported trouble. The only known damage was a window at a school which shattered during the hail. The Weather Office at Harewood was able to take academic interest. It recorded only a trace of rain much later in the afternoon but its observers saw the storm brewing over Christchurch city. A big cumulo-nimbus

cloud came in from Banks Peninsula, struck unstable atmospheric conditions, and then “just spilt on the city,” observers said.

A light southerly blew all day. At 9 a.m. the temperature at Hare wood was 57 degrees, and at noon it was 64 degrees. At 2 p.m. it was 65 degrees, which was the maximum recorded for the day. Rain began again in Christchurch about 10.30 p.m. It was raining heavily by 11 p.m., and gutters in the centre of the city were flooded by 12.30 a.m. Another thunderstorm was reported at Oxford, where 2.07 in of rain fell between 3.15 p.m. and 6.15 p.m. This was recorded by Miss M. Watson in Ashley Gorge road, but only an inch fell at Glentui. At “The Warren,” on the flat, 2in was recorded up till dusk, and heavy rain was still falling. There was minor flooding round Oxford.