APRIL 29.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 1201

“ After noon the river rose at a phenomenal rate, and soon all former flood-levels were passed, and had the rain not eased off the damage would have been serious. As it was a large area of country was inundated, and several buildings on the flat were almost submerged.

“ At 1 p.m. there was an electrical discharge in the east which was undoubtedly of the nature of a thunderbolt, and which was evidently associated with a great atmospheric upheaval. I was so confident of this that on Monday of this week I rode out to the coast, and found in a valley undoubted evidence of a cloudburst. An extraordinary scene of destruction was viewed. For a radius of a mile innumerable landslips were to be seen, but the most noticeable feature was the long distances which boulders, soil, and trees had been transported. The stream-bed was almost unrecognisable, and had carried large boulders and débris right down to the sandhills, through which it had cut a fresh outlet. Everywhere was evidence of an exceptional rainfall. A resident in the valley states that the whole thing occurred within twenty minutes, and that the water came down in a solid wall. Luckily the wind-force at the time was never above that of a moderate breeze. Residents further down the coast report abnormal falls and damage.”

The exceptional character of the weather is also well brought out in the report of Mrs. J. J. McKenzie, of Bushey Park, Palmerston South, which is as follows:—

“ The long, dry spell lasting from 17th February ended on the 12th March with a fine rain of 44 points. The barometer had been falling steadily for seven days, but the sky remained cloudless and the weather very warm. Only the flies crowding into the house foretold the coming of the rain. The morning of the 12th was warm and sunny, but after midday the clouds gathered, and by 6 p.m. a fine drizzle filled the air, increasing to a heavy downpour at 6.30, and in a quarter of an hour the dusty roads were in puddles. The night was warm and windless, and by eleven o’clock the rain was practically over, a beautiful sunny morning following.

“ On the afternoon of the 18th a thick drizzle from the N.E. came on, increasing to heavy rain during the night, showing a fall of 55 points in the morning. The thick rain continued all day and most of the night of the 19th, and when morning came—fine and dead calm, but still overcast—another 146 points was added to the score. The weather was warm all the time, the temperature never falling below 56°. On the night of the 27th (Saturday) the weather changed, and a clear cold night with a minimum temperature of 44° was succeeded by a rather dull chilly day, with wind from S.W. Next day was beautifully fine and warm (71°), but about 8 p.m. rain began to fall out of what seemed almost a clear sky. It was only a shower, but the morning broke very wet, with violent wind from the S.E., veering during the day to the N.E., and during the evening round to the N.W. At times the rain was almost torrential, and the atmosphere thick with mist. Before 5 p.m. the rain-gauge showed 1·40 in. since 9 a.m. It then eased off, but a thick mizzle continued, the total fall being 2·27 in. The wind, which sometimes blew with the force of a gale, uprooted a good-sized gum-tree. The morning broke fine and calm, with the barometer, which had fallen rapidly, still going down. Twenty-one points fell again on the night of the 31st, but there was no flood.

“ The early part of the month was ideal for harvesting, and though there are still a few stooks to be seen, the bulk of the crops was got in in fine condition, and the late rains have brought away a fine growth on the pastures.”

Generally the weather was most seasonable and beneficial for agriculture and pastoral life. The warm and dry weather at the commencement allowed the harvest and fruit to be garnered. The rainfall later caused a great growth of grass, and softened the land for ploughing.

In some cases I regret to say the observers do not observe the rule to record the rainfall to the previous day’s date, so that difficulties arise in the office in preparing the rainfall maps. A rainfall day is the twenty-four hours previous to 9 a.m.—thus, on the 1st of the month the rainfall, measured at 9 a.m., must be registered to the last day of the past month and added in with the total for that period.

D. C. BATES.

Meteorological Office, Wellington.