Floods, Lightning In North

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30939, 21 December 1965, Page 3

Floods, Lightning In North

Pouring rain, lightning and hail left behind flooding and damage in many North Island centres yesterday, the Press Association reports. Gisborne wm deluged by an Indi and a half of rain in a sudden thunderstorm accompanied by vivid lighffiing flashes for about 40 minutes yesterday afternoon. Streets were awash within half an hour and in places gutters overflowed and water lapped doorways and shops. At intersections passengers alighting from cars stepped Tofl imsdorbc mrtxmr

Board meeting had a “little harbour” of its own in the board room. The downpour flooded the counter and surged over the boardroom floor. Members moved to another room, where the meeting continued. GUTTERS BLOCKED Ten minutes of torrential rain accompanied by hail the size of peas caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage in Marine Parade, Wairoa, at 1.40 this afternoon. The bail blocked gutters and downpipes and water ran under the eaves and down the inside walls of shops, drenching counters arrayed with Christmas goods.

The biggest loss was about £l5O.

BALL OF FIRE A rare form of lightning—a golden ball of fire which explodes with a loud noise—was seen in St Hellers this morning at the height of a thunderstorm about 11 JO ajn. Mrs R. J. Nicholl, of Hanene street, St. Hellers, said she saw the fiery ball about 50 feet above the ground. “It was about as big as a soccer ball and perfectly round. It just appeared and then exploded with a noise like a terrifl: clap of thunder,” she said. The Auckland weather office said it was a relatively rare occurrence. The ball of fire, although it eould look frightening, was no more dangerous than forked lightning.

Hailstones the size of small marbles fell for 10 to 15 minutes in several western Auckland suburbs. STREET* FLOODED . A cloudburst over Whangsrei caused flooding in the streets and forced many motorists to stop because of poor visibility. Between 310 P-m. and 6 pm. lJsin of rain feH.

A blocked manhole in Mill road where a sewer and culvert cross caused flooding through gardens and across the road. Some shops and the new chief post office site were flooded. A Whangarei Fire Brigade pump got rid of 70,000 gallons of water from the post office site.