Historical Sth Canterbury Snowstorms

[jeffsweather]

I found an interestng list of major snow storms in South Canterbury. The page has scanned newspaper reports that make interesting reading though the text is a little small the the use of English somewhat different to the current style.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~nzlscant/snow.htm

Just a sample...

April 1895
The winter of 1895 was a severe one for South Canterbury and the South Island. Even Lyttelton Harbour froze. Lake Alexandrina near Lake Tekapo froze so thick that three hundred head of cattle walk over the lake. Stock losses in Canterbury were approximately 350,000 and throughout the South Island 750,000. A few people even died from begin caught outside or drowning. 12 feet of snow fell at Richmond station that winter. When the snow melts the rivers flood. Dogs even died, frozen stiff in their kennels. Sam Morris, the head shepherd, for the Sherwood Downs Station died from the result of the snow. The cold took a told on bird, rabbit, horses and cattle life. Before the snow melted many sheep were plucked for there wool.

[Gary Roberts]

"Lake Alexandrina near Lake Tekapo froze so thick that three hundred head of cattle walk over the lake."

A colleague was telling me today about how when he was younger he and his mates used to race cars over the frozen ponds around here, such as Lake Middleton! He had a Mark 1 Cortina and a friend had an Austin A-something ( can't remember, but apparently a very heavy car), and they'd spend many an eventful day skidding around on the ice!

It's pretty cold down here at the moment, but I don't know how cold it would have to be for such races to occur again!

[Dean.]

Around 4 years ago Lake Camp and Clearwater,inland Mid Canterbury lakes completely froze over.Cars driving across etc.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Might be a good season for ice-skating at Lake Ida coming up?

JohnGaul
NZTS

[03Stormchaser]

Lake Lydon occasionly freezes over, ask a family member of mine who's 4WD fell thru the lce!! Lucky it wasnt to deep!!

[joecam]

I was up at Lake Evelyn on Monday Night, the little lake just before lake Ida We were Skating on it till about 10pm. Big cracks though. There was about 20 of us. Ice was 50mm and unfortunately like Pavalova 3" of snow on it. (Makes for slushy skating) Lyndon is not frozen yet. Temp ranged from 0 to -4 on the drive out.

[squid]

ice skateing sounds good to me

[tich]

Only brief mention of the 1903 storm, which seemed to be rather like this last big one, with very heavy snow at low levels in South Canterbury. I read a bit about it in the Gordon Ogilvie book about Richard Pearse - apparently Pearse's flight attempts at Waitohi (somewhere near Pleasant Point) were somewhere around this time, though I couldn't imagine him having made any attempts during or soon after a severe snowstorm.

[Razor]

It mentions a John Smith who died at the age of 19....who has dad to five kids!!!! A busy boy....