Southerlies banish spring cheer

Press, 16 September 1986, Page 1

Southerlies banish spring cheer

Cold southerlies swept across Canterbury yesterday, bringing a damp reminder of the fickleness of spring weather. High-country roads were closed by snow. Heavy Yain brought surface flooding in Christchurch, and worries for South Canterbury fanners. Houses in the Brooklands and Spencerville area were surrounded by water, for the fourth time this year, after 2.5 cm of rain overnight on Sunday.

Christchurch Drainage Board staff would install a pump to clear the flooding, said the board’s chief engineer, Mr Peter Hunt. The flooding was not as serious as on previous occasions, although further rain would be a problem, he said. At one stage, surface flooding also affected the West Coast Road, near Paparua Prison. Inland, snow fell over a wide area, making many roads dangerous. It was still snowing heavily at Arthur’s Pass last night, and the pass was closed overnight to

all traffic. The road was expected to reopen this morning, chains being essential.

Lewis Pass was closed to heavy traffic, and chains were required for lighter vehicles. A number of slips on State highway 70, the inland route to Kaikoura, reduced the road to one lane in places, and extreme care was needed. In South Canterbury, farmers were warned to move stock from low-lying areas after 3cm of rain sent stream levels rising. The chief engineer of the South Canterbury Catchment Board, Mr Richard Keys, said that it was “not a warning as such — really just weather and river flow Information.” Main rivers were not affected, but the coastal streams were likely to rise, he said.

By 8 p.m. yesterday the rain had eased to a light drizzle, and the situation was static. If there were further rain, patrols would be mounted to monitor river levels, Mr Keys said.