NORTH-WEST GALE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 190, 12 August 1931, Page 6

NORTH-WEST GALE.

Telephone Lines Down and Minor Damage. VELOCITY OF 68 M.P.H. A nor-west gale, reaching a velocity of 68 miles an hour at times, measured at Wigram Aerodrome, raged over Canterbury this morning. A considerable number of telephone lines were brought down, and minor damage was done in many parts of the city, where trees and wireless masts suffered. Following upon a mild evening, the gale commenced to blow in the early hours of this morning, and had reached its maximum force at about eleven o'clock. By mid-day the gale had dropped away to a strong wind. Breaks in telephone lines were not as numerous as were expected by the District Telegraph Engineer (Mr J. C. Fairbairn). Wires were down south of Amberle)*, between Waiau and Kaikoura, and between Sockburn and Rolleston. Gangs of men have been despatched to these breaks, the assumption being that they have been caused by trees falling across and carrying away the lines. The telephone to the Takahe has been disconnected, and it is probable that many lines in and around the city have been brought down as a result of falling trees. A resident on the Cashmere Hills said that he thought his house was going to be blown away, so great was the force of the gale. Heavy Rain at Pass.

Arthur’s Pass reports that heavy rain has fallen during the morning as a result of the nor’-wester. Heavy rain is also falling at the Bealey, but so far the rain, coupled with the thaw that takes place when a nor’-wester blows over the mountains, has had no effect on the amount of water in the Waimakariri River. It was expected at the construction camp that the river would rise in a short time. Here the wind ripped the galvanised iron roof off one of the buildings, and did a fair amount of general damage to the property. With dust fiyipg round, conditions for men working on the ground and in the open were most unpleasayit. Less fortunate still were those who had to work on high, and sometimes shaky, scaffoldings. It was a case of “ hang on as best you can ” with them.

In confined places the gale played many tricks. To be caught in the middle of a whirlwind of dust and gravel is not a very pleasant sensation, Several people were thus enveloped. A large piece of galvanised iron was picked up bodily, lifted several feet into the air, and dashed -with great force into a brick wall. This happened in the yard adjoining the Post and Telegraph Department’s yard in Hereford Street. There was nobody in the 3 r ard at the time /Of the occurrence. The Causes. Mr F. L. Wooles, the “ Star’s ” weather expert, states that the gale is caused by a deep westerly low pressure area centred south of the Bluff, in co-relation with a rather intense anti-cyclone which is xiassing to the eastward of New Zealand. The effect of these conditions is to cause a deep barometric gradient so placed as to produce heavy westerly winds. The weather, Mr Wooles states, will be mainly fair—there will be more wind than rain. A few scattered showers may be expected on the plains, but they are not likely to be of long duration. In the back country, however, heavy rain will be general while the present conditions last, and there is likely to be a good thaw of snow. A velocity of sixty-eight miles an hour in a wind so early in August is most exceptional. The highest velocity experienced recently was sixtyfive miles an hour on June 23, when there was - a south-west gale, accompanied by heavy rain. In the Country. In country districts a good amount of damage was done to property. The gale raged at its height in Amberley between ten and eleven o’clock, and was the worst experienced there for many years. At present the damage discovered includes the ripping off of the leaden dome of the post office. This crashed into the street below, no one being injured. In the Broomfield district, three electric light poles were uprooted, and a number of trees and fences are down. Shortly after eleven o’clock a heavy shower of rain, from the nor’-west, fell in Amberley, and the wind died away to a strong breeze. Rangiora and Kaiapoi also felt the full force of the wind. A considerable amount of damage was done in these two towns, trees and fences being levelled. SQUALL AT HOKITIKA. (Special to the “ Star.”) HOKITIKA, August 12. The weather broke in boisterous fashion during the night, with heavy rain. The squally conditions were unfavourable for the proposed departure of Captain White’s aeroplane for Christchurch.