THE WEATHER.

Timaru Herald, Volume XL, Issue 3123, 26 September 1884, Page 3

THE WEATHER.

Tho rain which commenced to fall on Tuesday night, lightly at first, continued at intervals on Wednesday, and from tho evening of that d«y came down m the most persistent fashion up to a late hour last night, l'ho ground m town wsb very Boon soaked through, and tho water then began to gather m the side channels and gullies, and, 1 hanks to all this main culverts being clear, soon found ils way out of mischief. As u*ual, locomotion was on) thing but pleasant to thoso whose business took thoni abroad, most of our thoroughfares being anything but what streets and footpntha should bo. One place especially is worthy of mention, that is a piece of newly-formed footpath near the Molville Hotel, which being nicely top-dressed with gravel tempts the unwary pedestrian, but ho finds out to his ooet thut its appearance is not to bo trusted, as he •inks nrarly knce-do»p m nowly-laid clay, w liioh always proves treacherous m wet weather. As *vrill be soon from our messages given below, tho rain has been general throughout the district. Passengers by tho trains from north and south last evening reported that a lot of water was lying on either Bido of the lino, but that tho riTers hari not risen very much. The water coming down them, however, was very muddy, and there were evident indications of an early rise. Taught by formor experience, the rnilway surfacemen woro on the look-out for " weak " places all yesterday, but we are pleased (0 state their services wero not required m effecting repairs. The train from Albury yesterlay morning brought down a quantity of onow on the tops of the carriage. audtrucUe, a heavy f.iU having tuben place tho previous night, extending at fur down as tbo Cave. A gcntlomcn who arrived m town from Burke'a Pass laet crcning informed us that no less than fifteen inches of snow had fallen when he left the Pass yesterday morning, and that snow was ►till falling. In the Muckenzia Country tbe fall wub muoh heavier than at Hurko'a Pass. Two or three inches of snow also fell m the Woodbury district and around Goraldino. Our Gcraldino correspondent, writing late yesterday afternoon, Btatos : — .V steady downpour of rain commeucod on Tuesday afternoon and continued all thut night, a strong N.W. wind accompanying it. the wind changed to the south on Wednesday, and on Wedneeday night a severe storm, with thunder and lightning, prevailed, and afterwards same enow fell, — » etrange combination truly, even for ihia colony. All day yesterday rain fell without intermission, and as a consequence our local race meeting has been postponed for a week. A Fairlio Oreok correspondent writes : — On Wednesday night enow bogau to fall, and it continued till a'jout 3 a.m. on Thursday morning, by which time there was fully seven iuches on the ground. This .is the heaviest fall seen here for the last three ytars, end at tbia time of year it is almost unprecedented. At Burkes Paes the fall was somewhat heavier, but the storm does not appear to have reached Pleasant Point. From Waimate we received the following : — Rain has been almost continuous from 9 p.m. on Tuesday last till 3 p.m. on Wednesday, and entirely so from the lußt named hour to 5 p.m. yesterday, and with every sign of further continuance. Although rain hie been falling nearly forty hour*, the rain gauge at the County Council Chambers had registered only 1.76 inches up to 3 p.m. yeaterday. Tho Gorge and Waimate creeks are flooded, but not to a laTgo extent, Tho rain will do much good to the gruas and growing crops, but wilt retard the sowing of oats. The temperature has been mild since rain set m, tho wind light varying a few points to the north and eouih of east, with the usual dense foggy atmosphere which prevails when wind and rain set m from that quarter. The Oamaru Mail of last evening sajs : — " With reference to the heavy rains, we hear from a person who came from the Bouth by train thia morning, that there is every «ign of a flood, as the rivers wore rising, and a good deal of water was lying on tho swampy Rrinnd."