SOUTHERLY STORM

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 May 1942, Page 4

SOUTHERLY STORM

0 WINTER HITS CHRISTCHURCH. SEVERE FLOODING. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, May 25. Winter hit Christchurch with a vengeance over the weekend. A southwest storm, with driving rain and bitterly cold conditions, arrived early yesterday morning and in approximately 30 hours up to 9 a.m. today, of rain fell. The storm reached a new peak last night, and continued practically unabated this morning. Flooding occurred in many areas in the city, and it was particularly severe at Woolston, in the Radley Bridge area, where the Heathcote River banked up by the rising tide came well over the roads and footpaths. Sweeping up the east coast the gale caused serious trouble to telephone circuits, and to a lesser degree telegraph traffic has also been affected. There are no telephone circuits north of Cheviot and Waiau owing to serious breaks in the lines in those areas. As much traffic as possible is going via the West Coast, but the West Coast circuits themselves are very shaky and there appear to be some faults not far away. Snow has fallen in many places in the ranges and foothills, and in some places on the plains sleet was experienced. HIGH WIND IN WELLINGTON. NO SERIOUS DAMAGE DONE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Gusts of 63 miles an hour at Kelburn and 74 miles an hour at Rongotai were| registered yesterday by a strong southerly gale which swept Wellington. While the damage in Wellington was not serious, the South Island was not so fortunate, and communications there were dislocated. The top gusts at Kelburn were registered at 5.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m., and the 74 miles an hour gust at Rongotai came at 9.45 a.m. The wind got up to its full force late on Sunday, and continued to blow throughout yesterday. At times during Sunday night and yesterday morning it was accompanied by rain, but the worst rain came in the daytime on Sunday. For the 24 hours ending 9 a.m. yesterday the rainfall registered at Kelburn was 2.84 inches.