CITY SWELTERING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17246, 12 January 1924, Page 9

CITY SWELTERING.

another hot day.

“Another scorcher!” This phrase was common enough to-day as perspiring citizens greeted each other and mopped their brows. And it correctly described the position. The only cool place in Canterbury seemed to be the seaside, and from 9 a.m. there was a big exodus by tram, motor and bike to the beaches. The heat ware that has taken possession of the city shows no sign of diminution at noon. People awoke to another high and still rising tempera ture, and even the earliest of tram passengers fonnd no refreshing coolness in the atmosphere. The night had been warm, though not so hot as the previous night, when the coolest point recorded was 63.3 deg. The coolest reading last night was 59.4 at 3 a.m. From then the mercury rose steadily till C a.m’., after which it maintained a rise with more or less uniformity till noon, when the thermometer stood at 89.3 deg., as against 90.1 deg. at the same hour yesterday. The tendency at noon was still upward, and it seemed quite probable then that the record of yes terday of 9fl.l«deg. at 2 p.m. would be equalled or passed. The fact that th* sky was clouded helped to prevent the temperature in the sun from rising very lngh. The temperature at Lyttelton tins morning was SBde.g. in the shade At th* time the reading wa® taken the sky was overcast and the conditions very sultry. At noon the temperature at Lyttelton was 92deg. Shortly before three o’clock this afternoon the wind changed to the east, blowing freshly from a very clear sky. The big pall of smoke from the Brighton fire, which had been blown from the north-west, was blown back towards the city