Thunderstorms hit hard

DAVID HALLETT

Traffic hazard: Flash flooding causes trouble for motorists driving along Barrington St in southern Christchurch yesterday afternoon.

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A summer deluge hit the South Island yesterday, causing havoc for motorists and emergency services.

Some Canterbury households were left without electricity.

Metservice forecaster Chris Noble said there had been more than 1000 lightning strikes across Canterbury and North Otago from noon until 9pm.

Rainfall "bordering on torrential" had also soaked parts of Canterbury.

Winchmore, north of Ashburton, recorded the highest hourly rate, with 26.8mm of rain falling from 4pm to 5pm. Ashburton recorded 25.4mm of rain between 5pm and 6pm, while Lincoln had 23mm between 2pm and 3pm.

Hailstones up to 15mm in diameter also peppered the region.

The thunderstorm cells formed over the Canterbury Plains. Several drifted towards the coast, while some of the bigger ones went through Ashburton, across Rolleston and over parts of Christchurch, Noble said.

In Christchurch, motorists were stranded on Barrington St as water rose rapidly. Cars had to be abandoned or towed after breaking down in the floodwater and police blocked an area around Barringtons Mall.

Christchurch's deputy fire chief Greg Crawford said the service received 38 calls between 5pm and 7pm. Nine appliances, including appliances from Kaiapoi and Rolleston, attended flood-related callouts.

"On an average Sunday afternoon, we might get one or two (callouts) it's supposed to be our quiet time but over the Barrington side of town, there's been an awful lot," Crawford said.

Lyttelton and Governors Bay firefighters attended flood-related callouts, while, in the middle of the rainstorm, the New Brighton fire brigade dealt with a scrub fire on Blenheim Road, he said.

"It's certainly not been a city-wide event, but it's caused all the city's fire engines to be concentrated in one area of town doing whatever could be done to help."

Water had leaked through roofs and into the fire-alarm systems of houses and commercial buildings.

Filadelfio's Pizza Restaurant and Bar owner Tony Marriner said his Colombo St business was forced to shut.

"We were just preparing for the evening service and had to shut. There is extensive flooding damage in the restaurant. The floodwater on the street was huge."

Rahera St resident Thomas Lang, 20, discovered the water was "a lot deeper than it looked" when his car broke down at the Rahera and Barrington St intersection about 5.30pm.

"The water didn't seem that deep and the engine just started losing power, then it died altogether. In one spot, it was halfway up to your waist.

"There were other people whose cars got filled up with water on the inside."

Orion's control centre manager, Colin Wright, said the lightning storm caused power outages in the Bankside area, between Dunsandel and Rakaia, which affected about 30 customers.

In Springston, lightning hit a main power line, damaging two transformers and cutting electricity to about 20 customers.

In the city, about 30 individual fuses had blown because of the lightning storm, Wright said..

Meanwhile, about 200 homes in the Canterbury township of Tai Tapu lost power at 6pm after a car hit a power pole.

- © Fairfax NZ News