HEAVY STORM.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20170, 24 February 1931, Page 8

HEAVY STORM.

HAIL AND THUNDER ON PENINSULA. damage to fruit crops. Athunderstorm, followed by a hailstorm exceeding in intensity any that old residents of Akaroa could recall, swept over the Peninsula yesterday afternoon. The thunderstorm started at 3 p.m., and after a quarter of an hour it was followed by a severe hailstorm, which was on© of,the worst ever -experienced on the Peninsula. Pieces of jagged ioe orer an inch and a half in diameter preceded, the main shower of hail, which also was of abnormal size. The severity of the oncoming hail* storm can be gauged, by .the fact that it could be heard a; mile away. The thunder continued till -6 p.m.,. and a fair amount of rain fell between the cessation of the hailstorm and that time. Shortly after 8 o'clock rain was falling heavily in Akaroa. . Much damage was done to gardens and fruit trees, _pnd in many instances apples were bruised to pitch an extent that they will'be useless. DELUGE ON THE WEST COAST. FLOOD AT GREYMOUTH. OVER TWELVE INCHES OF RAIN. (SFZCXAXi SO TEE PRESS.) GREYMOUTH, February 23. Twelve and a half inches of rain fell in Greymouth during the 24 hours ended at 9 o'clock this This exceeded the previous record for a one-day downpour by six inches. Damage to many residential properties occurred in Marsden road and Upper Cowper and High streets. The rain, which did the damage, fell between 8.30 p.m. and la.m. t'o-day. The hills adjacent to the town pre- v cipiated a heavy'flow into the residential areas, Marsden road eastward of Shakespeare street being the principal sufferer. Sawyers creek rose rapid! and overflowed its banks and floode residences within' a wide area. In the business area flood watei entered Revington's" Hotel, when <"tn water main fronting the Grey Motoi became overtaxed, the volume of "wat« forcing np the iron cover from which, large force of water issued. This quickl gushed throughout the hotel, coverin the ground floor to the depth of o'vi a foot. / The downpour in the country wa xjlot nearly- as hfeavy as that in th town,.and no serious damage was « ported. . , " . , . The OtiTa. road was not affected t any extent,, Jmt at Jackson's the higl Way was under water last night. ■ At Eeefton the Inangahua river wa in high flood thiß morning. So far n -damage is reported., \ , WAIMAKARIRI IN FLOOD. I ~\ HEAVY RAIN AT ARTHUR'S PASS ' - i Following heavy rain at Arthur'* Pass over the * week-end the Waimaka riii river began to risg early ypterdaj morning, ■ and' at 5 p.m. 5 yesterday wat i six ; feet abova /the normal level a 1 , White's Bridge, <near the River Trust's construction camp/ - > . . . Between 8 p.m. on Saturday and- £ .over 14 inches *>f >ain fell at th© Pass, bpt the downpour yesterday, and last evening a report from the construction camp indicated that the river level-after being steady for some hours'had 1 commenced to fall. ;