THE WEATHER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVI, Issue 16992, 20 October 1915, Page 6

THE WEATHER.

RAIN, FROST ANT> SNOW.

Yesterday morning dawned clear, With a slight frost which slightly damaged potatoes, tomatoes and other young and delicate plants in the kitchen gardens. Towards midday a sou' • westerly wind! sprang up, and black clonds made their appearance, accompanied by a marked fall in temperature. There were slight showers in the early part of tbe afternoon, and at about seven in the evening a heavy ram set in. which developed after about an hour into sleet and snow. Snow fell with but slight intermission for a couple of hours, and then ceased, leaving a quite visible coating of white on crass plots and flat roofs in the city. In Lvttelton also there was a fairly heavy fall of snow at about eight o'clock, and the hills were whitened on both sides of the harbour to a greater extent than has been witnessed during the last five- years. .•',-... At Sumner last night there was a heavy shower of rain at about eight o'clock, lasting about an hour and a half while hail and snow foil on the hills' in the vicinity. The rain which fell last evening is the heaviest recorded in North and Middle Canterbury for some months, and if it is not succeeded by frosts should prove of considerable benefit to gardens, orchards and agricultural In the hill country at the back of Rangiora a downpour of rain occurred, with snow on the high ranges early vesterday afternoon, during an easterly breeze. Towards 6 p.m. the wind suddenly changed to the south-west, and a rapid fall in the temperature preceded a neavy storm of ram and hail, with a sprinkling of snow, which was coneral throughout North Canterbury After the worst of the squall had" passed, rain fell for some hours, but towards midnight the weather showed <dens of clearing. The rain coming after Sunday's showers* will necessarily benefit the crops and grass, but the snow on the hills is likely to cause a severe frost. The rain will benefit the crops very much, states the Oulverden correspondent of the "Lyttelton Times." It has been raining very heavily in the back country, and snow is lying on the hills but frosts are sure 10 follow, and will have the effect of thinning out the fruit crops, of which there is a great show. One effect. of the long dry sooll is the increase or black aphis, as veil as the green aphis, A strange sip-lit is seen in one garden, where a willow ■ tree is completely smothered with black aphis. Usually the willows are remarkably fre* ftrom any insect .seat.