Thunderstorms cause havoc
Business owners along Waimate’s main street have sandbagged their doors for ‘‘peace of mind’’ after a severe thunderstorm battered parts of South Canterbury.
Fire crews spent an hour pumping water from the area between Queen and Glasgow streets left behind by torrential rain and hail moving over the region yesterday.
MetService had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Duntroon at 1.30pm, updating it over the afternoon as the weather moved over the Waimate District and onto Timaru, St Andrews, and Pareora, before heading offshore about 4.37pm.
Yesterday’s thunderstorm capped off a weekend of extreme weather for South Canterbury and the rest of New Zealand. This included the wider Canterbury and Otago regions which were hit by about 900 lightning strikes over 24 hours – with one setting fire to a shed on Northwest Arch, Twizel, about 3.45pm on Saturday.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand shift manager Jill Higgison said the five-by-fourmetre shed was ‘‘well-involved’’ with fire when a Twizel crew arrived to extinguish it.
Higgison said fire crews were also called to Waimate’s main street, where they were on standby until the rain subsided, and they could pump water from the area – a clean-up mission which took about an hour.
Several other roads in the region suffered flooding. A police spokeswoman said a ‘‘hole culvert’’ had split part of Hakataramea Highway/SH82 and closed the road, while Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency reported Otematata-Kurow Rd/ SH83 between Aviemore and Otematata had also been closed.
Shampers senior stylist Jan Jeffery, who works on Waimate’s Queen St, said shops in the area were putting sandbags against their entrances to prevent further flooding overnight.
Jeffery was busy mopping up the 15 centimetres of water the storm had left behind when The
Timaru Herald spoke with her.
‘‘Everyone’s been pitching in and mopping. We had quite a lot of people offering support and grabbing brooms,’’ she said.
‘‘We’re pretty lucky because we didn’t have a lot of low-lying stuff. I think we’ll be okay once everything dries out.’’
Waimate’s Value Village owner Suzie Paulin said she had been stuffing towels under her shop doors to prevent water from coming in.
‘‘When people drive past it pushes water up against the door,’’ Paulin said yesterday afternoon.
She said water was almost knee-height.
‘‘The whole town is under
‘‘Everyone’s been pitching in and mopping. We had quite a lot of people offering support and grabbing brooms.’’ Jan Jeffery
Shampers senior stylist
quite a lot of water.’’
MetService meteorologist Tom Adams said ahead of the severe thunderstorm warning, many places in South Canterbury recorded 50 millimetres of rain over 36 hours, between noon on New Year’s Day and midnight Saturday – while nearby Kurow was battered by 100mm.
‘‘The good news is, the risk of thunderstorms does decrease tomorrow [Monday] but it’s not completely gone,’’ Adams said.
A front moving over the South Island was expected to bring ‘‘a few drops of rain’’ to the region tomorrow, with more rain to come with a southerly on
Thursday.
It was ‘‘really important’’ for campers and hikers to be aware of the weather before making decisions about embarking on those activities, Adams said.
The flow of the Otematata River also jumped from about nine cubic metres per second to 335 in less than 24 hours, prompting some campers at the Boat Harbour holiday park to evacuate on Saturday.
Fenz shift manager Brett Dunn said a fire crew helped the Waimate District Council clear away flooding on Queen St near Grigson St, Waimate, about 11.18am on Saturday.
Wet weather also impacted events around the region over the weekend, with concerts and rides cancelled at the Caroline Bay Carnival during downpours.
Timaru Artisan Farmers’ Market co-ordinator Eddie Lee said just two of the 13 stalls originally booked for the first market of the year braved the wet weather on Saturday.
Cancellations started pouring in about 6pm on Friday, when rain began pounding the South Canterbury town. Six were still signed up by the time the market opened at 9am, but two never turned up and two more left about 10.30am.
‘‘One had to leave because the rain just wasn’t letting up, and they were struggling to keep all their baking dry,’’ Lee said.
‘‘Some were pretty brave and dedicated.’’
Lee – who sold lettuce, eggs, and vinaigrettes, among other things, at his stall – said they were committed to holding the market weekly, for the ‘‘dedicated locals’’ who came every time.
‘‘People did come out when the rain turned to a light drizzle, and nobody was disappointed,’’ he said.
‘‘We just have to make best as we see fit.
‘‘I’m looking forward to next Saturday. I’m hoping the weather’s more kind, and we have more stalls up.’’
Environment Canterbury issued a warning to those considering taking a boat onto Lake Aviemore, after heavy rainfall dislodged logs and debris from surrounding hillsides into the lake.
‘‘The logs and debris can sit just a few inches underneath the water’s surface, and would cause considerable damage to any vessel that comes into contact with it,’’ deputy harbourmaster Gary Manch said.
‘‘Take it easy when you’re coming back to the lake. Keep your speed low until you’re satisfied there is no risk in the area you’re boating.’’