FARMERS WELCOME

Northern Advocate, 25 August 1937, Page 4

FARMERS WELCOME

After a spell of gloriously fine and mild weather, heavy rain, accompanied by a high wind, commenced to fall in Whangarei yesterday morning and continued throughout the day. The night, too, was very wet, although there was seme abatement in the early hours of this morning. However, shortly after 8 o’clock a further downpour occurred. This was of short duration and spelt the end of the storm. The wind dropped shortly afterwards and blue sky appeared. The rainfall at Whangarei for the 24 hours ended 9 a.m. to-day was 2.42 inches. This, together with a fail of .83 of an inch the previous day and .16 of an inch on Monday, practically comprised the total of 5.41 inches recorded to date this month. The average fall for August, ’ 5.12 inches, has already been surpassed. So far this year, G 2.86 inches of rain have been registered, bordering on the Whangarei average for the whole year.

At Ruatangata this morning the gauge read but 1,93 inches, indicating that Whangarei was the centre of the downpour. Farmers Pleased. Farmers are welcoming the warm rains, coming after a fortnight’s sunshine, which had a tendency to bake clay surfaces. Unless the rain is followed by a cold snap, they have been given a flying and early start for the spring production. Although sheepfarmers would have preferred a continuation of fine weather, the rain, being warm, will not affect lambing, which is proceeding satisfactorily throughout the North. Several houses in King Street were marooned for a few hours, and water was across the street itself.

There is a large volume of flooding across the Hikurangl Swamp at the northern end, where the watershed received the height of the rain. On lower levels the flats were free, but property owners were busy removing cattle to-day in the expectation of the flood moving down late tc-day or tomorrow. One Road Blocked. With the exception of the highway horth through Hukerenui, main roads in Northland were not affected by the rain. Auckland, Dargaville and Kaikohe, via the Mangakahia. arc all clear and carrying traffic normally. There were three feet of water at Hukerenui this morning and the Waiotu detour was also impassable. If the weather remains fine, the Whangarei Patrol of the A.A., Mr. J. Skow, expected that the detour would be free of water this afternoon, but inquiries should be made before proceeding. The water should be down on the Hukerenui road by to-morrow if no further heavy rain falls. The Northern railways are unaffected.