WINTRY WEATHER

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 137, 10 May 1940, Page 6

WINTRY WEATHER

HEAVY RAIN IN CITY, ' COUNTRYSIDE SOAKED. After recent cold conditions, the heaviest rain experienced this month fell in Palmerston North yesterday afternoon and last night- Starting inst before mid-day, it later became worse although there were^ occasional periods when it .’drew off. 1' rom early in the evening ulitil date at night the fall'was consistent. , The rain-gauge reading at_ Massey College showed a total of Co points for the 24 hours up to 9 a.m. to-day, and tlie total for the month to date is 1.76 in. The next heaviest fall this month was recorded in the morning of Saturday, May 4, o 9 points. From early morning, yesterday was bleak and rain threatened, but little fell during the morning. Once the ram started, in earnest most persons preferred to remain home rather than venture out, and the town last night presented a deserted appearance The Manawatu River showed a steady rise because of heavy rain locally and in Hawke’s ..Bay. At noon yesterday the gauge at the 1 itzheibelt bridge registered 4ft, and a reading at 8.30 p.m. showed that the river had then risen by a foot. In the next halt hour there was a rise of a foot, and from 9.30 p.m. to 11.30 it had increased to seven feet, and from 11.30 p.m. to 12.30 a.m. to eight feet. After that the rise,was not so rapid, there being an increase of a foot in the next three hours, and a smaller increase in the next three. The gauge had reached 10ft 6in at 8.30 this morning and lift at 10.45. am. At 1 p.m. the level had fallen slightly, the reading being 10ft. 9in. , The countryside has been well eaturated by the rains and outdooi work on farms is almost at a standstill. HEAVY RAIN ELSEWHERE. A Masterton report states that heavy rain leil - all day in- the Wairarapu yesterday, and drains in parts of Masterton borough appeared to have difficulty in carrying off the stormwatei. A good deaf ol surface water was in eviuence oil flat paddocks, but no flooding had occurred up to last evening, ltivers remained surprisingly low. A large slip is reported to nave come down on the V ellingtoii side of the Rimutaka hill, and the road is still, passable. . The heaviest rain experienced tor some months in Hawke’s Bay fell throughout Wednesday night and till yesterday afternoon, when it gave indications of clearing. Dannevirke and district w r as subjected to heavy and continuous rain from early morning yesterday,' with cold conditions and heavy thunder and lightning late in the afternoon. --vll streams were running high, and last night there was a prospect of’some flooding. Extremely heavy rain had been falling in Central Haw-ke’s Bay in the past 24 hours, said a message from Waipukurau last night, lj inches being recorded. Rivers had risen. Wanganui had steady rain all day.