STORM CENTRE

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 36, 12 February 1936, Page 12

STORM CENTRE

"UNHEARD-OF SPEED"

A Press Association message from Auckland yesterday stated, that at a meeting of the executive of the Auckland Farmers' Union complaints wers made that insufficient warning had been given of the recent heavy southearly storm.

The "unheard-of" speed with which the centre of the recent violent cyclone swept over the Dominion is referred to in a letter from Dr. E. Kidson, Director of the Government Meteorological Office, to Mr. L. A. Taylor, Hawera, the "Taranaki Daily News" reports. As the result of complaints in various quarters that the meteorological office had failed to warn the public that the cyclone might be expected, Mr. Taylor took the matter up with Dr. Kidson, who in his reply explained the peculiar circumstances. "On Saturday we notified that there was an intense cyclone north of New Zealand, moving southwards," wrote the Director,, "and we forecast rain all over the North Island and to Nelson and Marlborough. Gales and flooded rivers were forecast for all the Auckland Province and Hawke's Bay. For Taranaki and WelIlington Provinces we forecast only rain and freshening south-easterly winds. The storm suddenly began to move much more rapidly during Saturday afternoon than it had moved previously, and at the same time to deepen. Its effects scarcely extended beyond Cook Strait. The rapid movement defeated us so far as the southern part of the North Island was concerned, but we could not have foretold that, in view of the fact that the course was over the ocean. On the whole, I think we did pretty well; even on Saturday afternoon no gales had been reported. The centre moved from somewhere north-north-east of Norfolk Island on Saturday morning to south of Auckland on Sunday morning, and by Monday it had passed, away beyond Chatham Island. That is almost unheard of for so deep a centre coming from the Tropics."