Rain, Hail and Snow in Hawke’s Bay

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 174, 26 July 1939, Page 5

Rain, Hail and Snow in Hawke’s Bay

Per Press Association. HASTINGS, July 25. Rain, hail and snow, accompanied by a biting wind, brought the coldest conditions for many years to the Hawke’s Bay province to-day. The snowfalls iu

some parts wero very heavy, disorganising traffic. m Tho hills round Hastings were coated uud isolated falls of snow were noticed in the town for the first timo several years. Conditions were extremely bad iu tho central aieas, where a foot of snow was recorded. The afternoon was fairly fine and the evening is clear with very low temperatures. Heavy mortality among early lambs is reported in some districts. CITY SEES SNOW The winter of 1939 will be recorded as far as tho Manawatu district is concerned, as one in which more than the usual amount of snow has fallen. ►Several times the Tararuas and adjacent lower hills have been covered in the past few weeks while at 5.30 a.m. yesterday snow fell for an hour in the city itself. It was not a heavy fall—not even enough to allow of the pastime of snowballing—but sufficient to inform citizens that the town had come within tho grip of winter's lower temperatures. The foothills were thickly covered and presented & glittering spectacle when caught by the rays of an occasional burst of sunlight through heavy clouds driven by u southerly wind. The fall was heavier along the Poliangina Valley. At Ash hurst it was three inches deep while at Piripiri it was eight inches deep. Falls ranging up to a foot were reported from Utuwai, The weight of sn won the power transmission lines between Ashhurst and Raumai caused a break but the Power Board quickly effected repairs. MANAWATU GORGE SHOWS EFFECTS OF WINTER MOTORISTS SHOULD BE CAREFUL The conditions on the road through tho ISlana watu Gorge indicate that motorists using this route should

exercise extreme care in view of the large amount of rain that has fallen and the snow on the surrounding hills adding considerably to the quantity of water seeping down the hillsides. In several places yesterday afternoon, while iu the company of the service officer of the Automobile Association (Manawatu), Mr. H. R. D. Browne, a reporter observed small slips in the Gorge and spots where there were signs that further trouble might be expected. The Pahiatua hill road, which serves as a by-pass when the Gorge Road is not open to traffic, was also inspected and this was found to be iu quite good order considering that there had been a fall of snow earlier in the day. Although there was a fair amount of snow in the adjoining paddocks, there was no slush on the road surface and softness was noticed in only & few places. MAIN TRUNK ROAD BLOCKED SNOW PREVENTS TRAFFIC Advice was received by the Automobile Association (Manawatu) yesterday afternoon that the road north of Taihape was blocked by snow and would not be open until further notice.