UNUSUAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 December 1938, Page 8

UNUSUAL

METEOROLOGIST’S THEORY

AIR MASS FROM HIGHER LATITUDES.

RELEASE OF LATENT HEAT.

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day

A prolonged thunderstorm, most unusual in this locality and in most parts of New Zealand, was experienced in Wellington and throughout the surrounding districts, particularly in the Hutt Valley, from 2.30 a.m. till 8 a.m. this' morning. At times the lighting was exceedingly vivid, with thunder rolling round the sky for a lengthy period. Telephone bells tinkled at times, particularly after close flashes, but there was no dislocation of services.

Dr E. Kidson, Director of Meteorological Services, said 'the indications were that there was over the Northern Tasman Sea yesterday a mass of air that had not long been in such lowlatitudes. Such air would be absorbing heat and moisture from the surface of the sea, and these conditions would become unstable if for any reason the mass of air were raised. The water vapour condensed in it would then liberate its. latent heat and portion of the mass would become warmer than the corresponding level of undisturbed air. It would, therefore, continue to rise, producing active convection currents and thunderstorms would start. Heavy rain fell throughout the and at places was torrential.

BLINDING FLASHES MARLBOROUGH’S EXPERIENCE. LIGHTNING STRIKES POWER INSULATOR. BLENHEIM, This Day. . The most prolonged electrical storm experienced in Marlborough for many years occurred between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m., an almost incessant rumble of thunder being punctuated by several particularly heavy detonations, accompanied by blinding flashes of lightning. Only minor damage appears to have resulted, practically all of it due to a discharge of.lightning at about six o’clock, which caused a power failure through the shattering of an insulator on a high-tension line. In one house in this vicinity a radio set was ignited. In another a switchboard was set alight. The dwellings were unharmed. A gatepost was shattered and the ground surrounding it denuded of turf. Luckily the lightning struck where minimum damage was liable to occur, for in the same locality two willow trees were split and set on fire, while not far away an oat stook was seen ablaze in the midst of a downpour of rain. Numerous telephones were put out of action.

In the suburb of Springlands, the storm was accompanied by one of the heaviest rains for months, approximately an inch and a half being recorded in four hours.