Roads Reopened In South

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32018, 19 June 1969, Page 1

Roads Reopened In South

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 18. After frosts in many districts last night, clear skies and slowly rising temperatures today turned snow to slush and freed most of the country from the effects of two days of snowstorms.

Throughout Otago and Southland, the worst hit areas, roads reopened, businesses returned to normal, transport services resumed and farmers were tending to stranded stock. In Central Otago most schoolchildren enjoyed another day of enforced holi- . day, but elsewhere schools 1 reopened. The coldest temperature ' recorded this morning was at ' Molesworth, in Marlborough, I where 29 degrees of frost was reported. At Blenheim, the 1 “sunshine capital,” residents '■ shivered in a fl. B-degree frost The second coldest district was Taupo, with 27 degrees

of frost. Wellington had a five-degree frost this morning and Upper Hutt registered a 14.4-degree frost. In Christchurch, a 10-degree frost was recorded at the Botanic Gardens. There is still a cold southwesterly flow over the country, but a Weather Office, spokesman in Wellington said this afternoon that no more snow was expected. Light rain was falling in Invercargill, however, and temperatures were likely to drop again after the frontal zone causing the rain had passed. The temperature in Invercargill was 46 degrees at 3 p.m. today, compared with 36 degrees at the same time yesterday. The outlook for tomorrow is for mainly fine weather in the east, from North Otago to Gisborne, and cloudy weather elsewhere, with some showers in western areas. In Central Otago showers and rising temperatures today eased the position of fanners, who previously had stock caught in the snow. In Dunedin all bus services were restored, although chains had to be used in some suburban areas. No snow lay in the main streets this morning, and private cars were running without chains in the outlying areas. A fleet of Army vehicles kept on standby throughout Tuesday night and this morning to assist in emergencies and to help ambulance staff take hot meals to elderly and disabled people was little used. The Department of Agriculture had no confirmed reports of stock losses late this afternoon but a check of Otago farmers revealed that some had lost a few head smothered in snowdrifts.