SATURDAY'S DELUGE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18588, 24 December 1934, Page 5

SATURDAY'S DELUGE

PURELY LOCAL . DOWNPOUR

2,TN. IN 1| HOURS

’PLANES LAND IN STORM

The tropical deluge which was experienced in Gisborne late on Saturday afternoon was one of the severest ever known. Nearly two inches of rain fell within an hour and a-half, practically all of it coming down in the first half-hour.

It was confined almost entirely to the town and a small fringe outside the borough area.-. 'Miitawbcro had only a light shower, • while Muriwai, Whangara and Te Karaka had hardly sufficient to keep the dust down;

Heavy bursts of thunder accompanied the rain',- but - these’ were - not exceptionally severe. The, rain commenced suddenly, after the sky had clouded very quickly. It Was so dark indoors just before the storm burst that shops,and offices had to bo artificially lighted. ;. The niovements of three aeroplanes were affected by the storm. Two arrived while-it was in progress, and the return of one to Auckland was delayed. . ,i i, .-' : - Mr E. Barker, *■ flying a, ’Hawke'S Bay Aero Club’s Moth,’.arrived during the worst period of the storm, and landed on Darton Field at about 3.45 o’clock. The rain was then descending at its heaviest, visibility was poor, and thunder was crashing at intervdls. The plahe flew low over the town, and made an excellent landing. A second aeroplane, a Desoutter, piloted by Flight-Lieut. Oerran'd,.arrived from Hawke’s Bay! later, missing the full blast of the storm.

The third aeroplane was piloted by Flight-Lieut. 11. Lette, flying an Auckland Aero Club’s Puss Moth, which arrived in Gisborne about midday with a stretcher case and nurse. This machine was to have returned north the same afternoon, but was .prevented from doing so by the weather conditions. Tho two Hawke’s Bay aeroplanes also stayed overnight, returning yesterday. The ruin was so heavy during the first half-hour that the streets were awash, and water channels in the main section of Gladstone road were running level with the top of the kerbing. Crowds of shoppers waited under verandahs, and picture crowds coming out from matinees stood dismayed. A few bent on catching country buses ran across the street, but those without coats or umbrellas were drenched before they had got half-way. A few miles out there was only a light shower. To Karaka had four points of rain. On one farm at Puha, 40 points were gauged at the homestead, but at the back of the same property haymaking was not interrupted. Only a light shower occurred in the Knnakanaia Valley, and so far as can be ascertained little or no rain occurred in the back country towards Matawai. Muriwai. experienced a short shower at about 4 p.m., ami Whangara had sufficient only to wet the bitumen road. The Gisborne fall was 1.97 in.