A hardy Dannevirke resident battles wind and torrential rain on High St yesterday morning, as the district continues to be hit by winter's last blast. Photo / Christine McKay
A hardy Dannevirke resident battles wind and torrential rain on High St yesterday morning, as the district continues to be hit by winter's last blast. Photo / Christine McKay
Winter came back when we weren't looking, Norsewood's Lyn McConchie says.
"On Friday winter really did return as the temperature dropped dramatically," she said. "I was reading a book and making notes for a review when I felt it was getting chilly. I checked my outside thermometer and the temperaturehad gone from a good 13C at lunchtime to just 3C. And the wind was starting to get up."
Ms McConchie said 100km/h gales hit upper Norsewood during Friday night, alternating with rain and hail.
"The weather stayed that way most of Saturday too, ending with the lawn white with hail," she said. "On Sunday night we had 150km/h winds on and off, but early yesterday morning it had calmed down to 80km/h.
"Winter has had one last bite and we're being bitten well and truly."
Wind, rain, hail and sleet lashed Dannevirke on Saturday, with snow settling low on farmland at the foot hills of the Ruahine Ranges behind Maharahara and a top temperature of just 9C recorded in town.
Warren Harris, Scanpower's network operations controller, said yesterday morning his crews were dealing with small power outages as a result of the wind and trees down over lines.
"We've had outages across the district from Roley Rd in Papatawa to the south and Whetakura Rd north east of Norsewood in the north.
"The worst wind gust we recorded here at Oringi was 85 kilometres an hour at 4am, but then it quietened down again," he said. "However, the MetService is predicting the wind to peak at 120km/h so there could be worse to come."
And with rain and wind continuing, road gutters were flooded and the Dannevirke Volunteer Fire Brigade was called to a roof lifting in Stanley St yesterday morning.
