HEAVY FALL OF SNOW

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21254, 6 August 1932, Page 10

HEAVY FALL OF SNOW

CHRISTCHURCH EXPERIENCE I TWO INCHES IN STREETS PENINSULA MILLS COVERED [BY TELEGRAI'H OWN CORRESI'ONDENT] CHRIST CHURCH, Friday Snow to a depth of two inches and more was lying in the Chrislchurch streets and on thn housetops this morning. Thu 1 fall began shortly after midnight and con--3 tinued until 11 a.m., when there was a 1 break ot sunshine, and intermittent falls, 3 combined rain and sleet, continued ' throughout the day. 1 All over the South Island the weather was boisterous in the early hours of this ' morning and heavy rain fell on the west 1 coast. The ferry steamer Maori arrived at Lyttelton four hours late after one of ' the roughest trips of her career. The snowfall was confined to the eastern part, of Canterbury, and the hills of Banks Peninsula in particular were covered. H was reported that (he snow ' lay right down to the water's edgo in ! parts of (he peninsula, and the snow was two to three feet deep in places on the roads, but the service ears were able to ( get through. None ot the city's services was into* | rupted to any great extent by the snow, I although some motorists had trouble, arid wot insulators caused a delay of 10 minutes on the Lyttelton railway line. Footpaths in the city and suburban , streets were shovelled clear by gangs of men from the City Council's staff, and by relief workers. The street-sweeping machines worked well and bv a comparap lively early hour had cleared sufficient , portions of the main thoroughfares to en- . ablo people to pass dry shod. The first day of the Metropolitan Trotting Club's meeting at Addington has been postponed from to-morrow until Monday. For most of last evening the temperature ranged about freezing point, and the minimum was 31.2deg., but the temperature seemed to riso in the morning. In the exposed country districts, the temperatures were much lower, and farmers with early lambs had fears for their stock. Because of the dryness of the winter so far, however, the snow will be welcomed by many farmers, as there will be some benefit to newly top-dressed pastures. Tho severity of tho snov.-storm on Banks Peninsula may cause mortality among stock, but if a thaw comes soon, as it promises already, the losses should not bo serious. In some of the lower valleys of tho peninsula, there are dairy farming settlements, and for these, tho temporary loss of feed may be an embarrassment. Tho storm has come too early to affect laml>3 in sheltered areas. Some farmers who make a practice of securing early lambs for market have young lambs now, but the general body of lambing is not due for some weeks yet. NATIONAL PARK CONDITIONS ANOTHER FALL EXPECTED Although it was snowing only lightly at tho Chateau yesterday, visitors who arrived there during tlio course of the day reported heavy falls in the vicinity of "towns through which they had passed. Much snow was staled to be lying 18 miles from Feilding, also near Taihape, and within 10 miW of Wanganui. Blizzard conditions consisting of a low temperature and windy weather were experienced yesterday in the vicinity of the Chateau, but last evening the wind was I reported to bo dropping and a heavier | fall was expected. Most of the snow has i been blown away from round the Chateau | ! but tho slopes of the mountain are stated | to bo in good condition for ski-ir:g. NORTH ISLAND SUFFERS TARANAKI AND WAIRARAPA Snow fell in the King Country early yesterday almost as far north as Te Ivuiti, while a fall was also reported in the high country between Gisborno and Opotiki. Snow was lying thick on the hills round Opotiki yesterday. There was a heavy fall in tho Matawai district, and service cars were reported to be travelling for several miles with the snow 6in. deep. Tho heaviest snowfall for many years occurred nt Stratford on Thursday night. The whole countrysido was covered with snow to a depth of over an inch, and there was also snow in the town yesterday morning. Eitham township and the whole of ths> surrounding district awoke yesterday morning to the unusual spectacle of a heavy fall of snow scvoral inches deep. It was the heaviest experienced for very many years. Ski-ing was indulged in by one party in Eitham streets. A Press Association message from Masterton states that the fall was tho heaviest on the oast coast eince 1910. A wide area was affected, the snow being a foot deep on tho higher slopes of the Maungaraki range. The foothills of the Tararuii mountains were also well covered. Snow fell in Masterton and other parts of tho Wairarapa valley, but it soon disappeared on tho lowlands. Lambing has not yet started. DUNEDIN AND OAMARU HEAVY IN BOTH PLACES Press Association telegrams from Duncdin and Oaniaru indicate that tho snowfall was heavy in both places. There was a widespread fall throughout Hie Dunedin district, and the snow was lying 2in. deep in the city. Country roads were passable. At Oaniaru, snow fell on Thursday evening (o a depth of lin. in tho town, all hough the fall was heavier in tho country. The snow in tho town disappeared by noon yesterday. NOVELTY AT WANGANUI SLIGHT EARLY MORNING FALL [BY TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] WANGANUI, Friday A slight fall of snow was experienced in Wanganui before daylight this morning and, as far as can bo ascertained, tiiis is tho first occasion such a visitation lias been experienced within the memories of old residents. At Waverley there was a fall of three inches, the first snow to be 1 seen in the township for 38 years. In the district round Waverley, the lambing season has commenced, and hero ■' fairly serious losses are reported. At ' Patea two inches of snow fell. 1