SUNDAY'S GALE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 92, 13 January 1920, Page 4

SUNDAY'S GALE

MINOR DAMAGE DONE.

Violent changes continue a marked characteristic of the passing summer. On. Sunday afternoon the strong north-west-; crly breeze increased to a gale of considerable violence, with extraordinarily fierce gusts and squalls from time to time. A good deal of danger was npi prehemled in (some quarters, particularly on the high levels owing to the force of the wind being great enough to shako houses built on a firm foundation. Windows were blown in all over the place, trees were uprooted and branches were lorn from stout tree trunks, and fences wore blown doivu. A verandah in Vivian Street was considerably'damaged by the gale, and in Roxburgh Street a thirtyfoot pine crashed down just clear of a big bow window, carrying away the telephone wires. A house in the course of erection at Hatoitai was blo»viv to the ground. The gale was at its height between 7 and 8 p.m. It died towards midnight, and the wind shifted round to the south e?rly yesterday juoriiing, with a very perceptible lowering of the temperature. The day saw a return to bright, warm weather. The Acting-Dominion Meteorologist (Mr. B. V. Pemberton) reported that the force of the gale was not nnusiial. Locally, the strongest winds . were experienced between 1 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. and G. 30 p.m. on Sunday. During these two periods some gusts ot over sft miles per hour were registered at the Thermion Observatory. These records, however, are taken on the l'.at, and the force of the gale was certainly more pronounced on the higher leve s. The average velocity of the wind for the 21 hours preceding 9 iwn. yesterday was 23 miles per hour.