A VIOLENT STORM

Hokitika Guardian, 29 September 1931, Page 6

A VIOLENT STORM

TIMARU, September 27

For the -space of an hour yesterday morning Tirnaru experienced a violent rain and hailstorm, accompanied by vivid Hashes of lightning and peals of thunder. The hail was so.heavy that the streets soon became thickly coated, the appearance being -similar to a heavy snowfall. T-he town appeared to get the full force of the storm, 'the suburban area not being so badly affected. At the Park, 96 points of rain was recorded in less than an hour.

The storm, which broke shortly after 9 a.m., was preceded by a period of almost semi-darkness, shops and offices having »to (utilise their full flighting equipment. The drains in the yards at the tear of One office building in Stafford'Street could not cope with the sudden flow and the waters -swirled -through the rear office, flooding it to a depth of -several inches, through the main offices and into the street. A Stafford -Street milliner and an outfitter had to shift their stock on to the footpath for safety. At the Bay viaduct six inches of water was right across the intersection, of the four streets. On the Bay itself, the parking lawn was so flooded as to give it the appearance, viewed from the -streets above, of a vast swimming pool. In suburban streets the force of the water rushed the' light gvrfvel down to the lowest points, where it lay deposited in big-heaps after the water i cleared away. Some of the newly-formed streets were, little better than quagmires. '" About 10 a.m. the -storm cleared and except for occasional showers, the weather was fine and clear. To-day was beautifully fine and'-sunny.