WIND REACHES 79 M.P.H.

Chronicle (Levin), 14 August 1946, Page 7

WIND REACHES 79 M.P.H.

—Press Association

By Telegravh-

WELLINGTON, August 13. Extremely low barometrie iiressures to the south of New Zoaland yesterday and iast night set thc weather stage for tlie most tempestuous iiortherly, nor-west, and westerly gales of the year. It swcpt north over the west coast of the Louth JLsland to Coolc Strait and north again as the low pressure trough advanced, headed by violent squalls. At its worst over Wellington the storm blew with gusts of 70 miles an hour and more, the licrcest period being between 7.10 and 7.20 p.in., when Kelburn Observatorv reconled oue violent blow of 79 m.ji.h. After 8 o'clock the violenee decreased, but there were occasiouul gusts of up to 70 in.p.h. 'until uearly uiidiiight. JDuriug the squalls the rain was very heavv, but the total fall was not grcat enough to causo food duiuage, and, overytlnng considered. Wellington caiue through this violent but brief storm witli little damage. The peak gust of 79 m.p.li. was the highest recorded at Kelburn since Bepteinber 1 last year, when a blow of 82 m.p.li. occurred. It is probable tliat on some heiglits the wiud easilv topped 80 miles tui hour, so no wonder fences collapsed, and trees were smashed. liongotai's lieaviest blow was 7(5 m.p.li. Power Interruptions. Several suburlis suil'ered power interruptions of brief or considerable duration when service lines were swcpt togetlier and suort eircuits resulted. Jioseneath was longest witliout power, i'rom 3.3 U to (i, wlu-n a tlash-over occurred on a liigh teusion line, causing a heavy surge over other feeders and temporarily affecling a wide area of the city. Lvery available linesman was out from ihe late afternooii till midnight, working under very stroiiuous aud miserulde comiitions. There was a more serious break in power suppiy iu the llutt Valley system to Eastbourne and the bays, which were in dai lcness for an hour and tlireequnrters troin S p.in. Other paris of ihe Power Board's area lost power for a l'ew ininutes to iiu.lt' an hour, and a uumbor of residences lost their supplies tlirough the breaking of iiulividnal connectious to the service lines. The main transniission lines, bringing power from the north to the city and valley sub-statioiis, took the wind as it canie. The luirbour was a wild siglit in t he late afternooii, and Oriental Parade was no place for casual strolling; water came over the seawall in sheets to flood the parade and water chanuels. Minor damage was done to craft in the t»oat harliour. Poi tunately Kvans Bay did not get Ihe full force of the gale, and the launclies and yachts rode it oui, uith oue exception, lying this morniiig well up 011 the beach at the iiead oi' the bay. Railways and Telephones. Tlie storm had little serious efL'ect on rail serviees, the most serious being a sniall slip between Kaitoke and .Mangaroa, whi'-li prevented rail cars from Masterton and Woodville reaching Wellington this moi'iu/lg.' ' "FassCiir/O'rsl iFefk transferred to buses, and came 011 by road witli a delay in arrival at Wellington of only aluiut half an hour. There were minor interruptions to ihe signalling systein, but. they were Knnporary and lid not hold up serviees. No washouts are reported. Air serviees were not all'ectcd. Tclephonc eircuits beyond Paekakariki on the west coast of the North Island as far as Auckland were interrupted by a tree which came down across Ihe lines near Paekakariki

i 1 Maintenance men worlced in the liowl- 1 ing gale and rain to rostore the eircuits and by 9.8U most oi' tlie lines were work-) ing again. It was expected_ tliut ihe j repair work would be completed before1 110011. j Circuits to tlie Wairarapa and be- > yond wero subjei-ted to some interfer-j ence through the gale bringing wires > logether, but tliere was 110 inajor ; t rouble. Abuut 200 subscribers in Ihe Wel- j lington area were all'ected by the break-' 'ivg and twisting of wires, but the maintenance sialf was able to cope witli tlie j position. In geueral, said a telophone otticial today, tlie service both locally and further alield had coine tlirough the gale very satisfactoi'ily.