Two air flows met

Press, 14 March 1986, Page 1

Two air flows met

Two air flows meeting over the Canterbury region caused the torrential downpour which hit Christchurch and outer areas early yesterday morning. A total of 57.9 mm of rain fell at Christchurch Airport in the 24 hours to yesterday morning, and 71mm was recorded at the Botanic Gardens. The chief of the Christchurch Weather Centre, Mr Hayward Osborne, said that two opposing air streams had come into contact over the city, causing the downpour. There was a depression in the central Tasman Sea that was stationary but it had a frontal system with a rain band moving east. “There was also an anti-cyclone south of us at the time and the two airstreams met over this area,” he said. “With this convergence of air flows the air has to go upwards and it increased activity in the rain band,” he said. “We have probably

Disaster team

PA Wellington Civil Defence authorities yesterday sent a disaster team from Wellington to flood-stricken South Canterbury.

seen the worst of it in Christchurch but South Canterbury and North Otago may get more over the next day or so.” The fail was the biggest single downpour on any one day since January 2, 1980, when 106 mm was recorded in the city and 110 mm at the airport. The rainfall was widespread in Canterbury, with Rangiora topping

the totals with 110 mm. Of that total, 85mm fell between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. z Other totals were Craigieburn 35mm, Arthur’s Pass 46mm, Lake Coleridge 42 mm, Culverden 47mm, The Hermitage 39mm, Mount John 64mm, and Timaru Airport 114 mm. Some parts of Otago recorded 112 mm in the. same 24-hour period.