SQUALLY AND COLD

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22191, 19 August 1935, Page 10

SQUALLY AND COLD

WEATHER IN PROVINCE FLOODING AT FRANKLIN WAIKATO RIVER OVERFLOWS WATERS BACKED UP BY TIDE Boisterous and cold weather was experienced in many parts of tho Auckland Province during the week-end. The conditions wero particularly severe in tho Franklin County, where there was some flooding, and in the Waikato. The Hku.vld's Pukekoho correspondent reports that stormy conditions wero experienced throughout Saturday night nnd yesterday.. Thero was a strong westerly gale, with frequent heavy rain showers, mostly of short duration. The Aka Aka and Otaua plains, which aro drained swamps, appeared to be suffering most from the continual wet westerly weather. The Waikato River was running high and, with the high tide, backed up by the westerly Rale, the river broke over the stopbank on Saturday night and inundated several farms with about ono foot of water, The cattle in some cases had to bo • removed to fai ms higher up in tho plains. Ihe T\ater did not enter the houses of anv settlers, but flooded cowsheds. Drains Overflow Banks-. At the time of high tide, at 2.30 yesterday afternoon, thero was about lOin. of water around the manager's house at the Aka Aka cheese factory and in other places. Both in the Aka Aka and Otaua plains the drains had overflowed their banks. However, with the ebbing of tho tide, the drains had coped with the water again by about 5.30 p.m. Lightning and thunder accompanied several showers during the day. There was hail with one shower at about 5.45 p.m. at Mercer. The severe thunderstorm which occurred in the Waikato on Friday night was followed by boisterous nnd showery weather, which continued throughout the week-end. There were cold squalls at frequent intervals. The rainfall for the 24 hours ended 9 a.m. on Saturday totalled .54in., bringing tho total for the month to 2.40 in. A number of sports fixtures were postponed in Hamilton, and others were carried on under adverse conditions. Telephone Service Interrupted Telephone communication was interrupted in the To Akau district, on the West Coast, on Friday evening, by a strong flash of lightning. The whole of the district was temporarily isolated until the service was partially restored. About 20 subscribers were still cut off yesterday. * The strong westerly winds smashed a plate-glass window in a Victoria Street shop in Hamilton during tho night, and smashed a number of casement windows in private houses. A big slip occurred during Friday night in the new deviation work being carried out in Hinton's Gully on the Hamilton-Morrinsville road. Traffic is blocked and is required to pass along the Ruakura Station road between Hamilton and Newstead.

Thunderstorm at Cambridge A severe thunderstorm swept the Cambridge district on Friday night and heavy rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, fell during the night and continued at intervals during Saturday. Rain commenced to fall shortly after 6 p.m on Friday, the fall up to 9 a.m on Saturday being .43in., bringing the total for the month to 1.63 in., ancl for the year to date to 32.25 in. The strong winds caused minor damage in various parts of the district, and low-lying parts were under water most of the day. «. The weather at Morrinsville was cold and showery, with a strong southwesterly wind. After several days of delightful spring weather, heavy rain and strong winds set in at Whangarei early on Saturday morning, and conditions during the day were showery and intensely cold. The day was one of the coldest experienced this year, and was most severe on stock, especially young lambs. The conditions improved during the night, but yesterday was very cold with showers and squalls, and last evening there was a thunderstorm. Exceptionally high tides and heavy rain caused flooding in the upper reaches of the Helensville River on Saturday and again yesterday, and the low-lying areas were covered. The water rose over parts of the main road near the Te Pua Bridge, about a mile and a-half from the town, but there was no serious dislocation of traffic. The weather was very boisterous throughout the week-end, the wind at times being very strong. There was a severe electrical storm last evening but no damage was reported.

SHEDS BLOWN AWAY BAY OF PLENTY DAMAGE MILK FLOATS OVERTURNED C BY TELEGItAJPII OWN correspondent] WHAKATANE, Sunday of Whakatane were disturbed on Friday night when a violent storm sprang up about-10.30 p.m. and lasted until an early hour yesterday morning. Heavy rain fell, and was accompanied bv a wind of hurricane force. Several haystacks in the district were blown down, but the main force of the wind appears to havo struck the cartshed and garage on the property of the Strathmore Dairy, owned by Messrs. Paterson and Piatt and situated on the borough boundary. On going out to got their carts at 3.30 this morning the proprietors of the dairy were surprised to find their shod, a large one about 36ft. by 30ft., lying on the bank of a lagoon some 30vds. away from its site, and badly smashed. Two of their milk floats were upside down near the shed, and all the harness, which had been hanging in tho shed, was strewn over the paddock. A large number of milk bottles were ; broken, but fortunately the milk floats were undamaged and the delivery ofi the milk was commenced without any great delay. , , Friday night was one of tho stormiest experienced at Opotiki this winter, an exceptionally severe wind being accompanied by violent rain squalls. A number of trees were uprooted in tho town and several cowsheds in the country were unroofed. One big shed was blown over in the borough.