WINTRY WEATHER IN SOUTHLAND

Southland Times, Issue 25691, 28 June 1943, Page 4

WINTRY WEATHER IN SOUTHLAND

SPORTING FIXTURES ABANDONED A biting wind, heavy rain, hail sleet made conditions highly unpleasant during the week-end in Invercargill. With the exception of Rugby football, cycling and the Birchwood Hunt Club’s meeting, all outdoor sporting fixtures arranged for Saturday were abandoned. The weather in Invercargill on Saturday morning was chilly and heavily overcast. Heavy rain fell almost continuously during the afternoon and late in the afternoon a strong wind sprang up. Heavy rain fell during Satuday night and yesterday morning the ground was covered with a light coating of sleet and snow. The wind continued yesterday and until late last night. At about midnight, however, there seemed to be promise of an improvement in the weather, the sky being clear and the atmosphere frosty. Conditions were extremely wintry in the Eastern and Northern districts of Southland at the week-end. Falls of snow were experienced in various parts of these districts, the heaviest falls being in the Balfour and Waikaia areas. The weather showed no signs of clearing last night. Snow began to fall at Waikaia at about 8 o’clock on Saturday night and it continued for the greater part of the night, the ground being covered to a depth of about five inches yesterday morning. At Balfour the depth, of the fall was between four and six inches, but further south at Riversdale it was much lighter, only about two inches of snow covering the ground yesterday. In the Chatton, Waikaka and Waikaka Valley areas there was a fall of about three inches while at Gore the fall was very light. The Hokonui hills and the hills at the east of the town carried a good coating of snow yesterday. HEAVY SNOWFALL IN CENTRALOTAGO DUNEDIN, June 27. After a mild winter in Dunedin there was a sudden change over the weekend to conditions of unusual severity and this morning the hills surrounding the city carried a mantle of snow. Rain and sleet showers fell during the day and a strong south-west wind prevailed. Heavy falls of snow, ranging up to as much as 18 inches, are reported from Central Otago where telegraphic communications and the power supply were interrupted in several places.