On December 14 1995 flood waters peaked as the Clutha River burst its banks. Heavy rain and snow melt brought flooding to the West Coast, Canterbury and Otago regions of the South Island of New Zealand, damaging roads and causing evacuations. The flood in Alexandra was its biggest flood in history. A Civil Defence Emergency was declared for Hakataramea in Canterbury. A principal cause was the stalling of a front as it moved over the southern South Island. On the evening of the 11th, an active cold front crossed Fiordland and Southland, preceded by a long fetch of northerlies from the subtropics. During the 12th, this remained stationary, blocked by a large high to east, while a weak southerly spread into eastern districts. Overrunning of moist warm air produced high rainfalls in eastern areas on this day. Convection also played a major role and helped heavy rain spill over well east of the divide. Snow melt helped turn this into a major flood event.

Alexandra in Otago was one of the worst hit areas. Low lying areas of Alexandra were inundated. The bottom end of town was under water. The Lindis Pass on State Highway 8 was the worst-affected road. State Highway 8 near Bendigo and State Highway 6 between Haast Pass and Mount Iron were also damaged. The cost of repairing damaged roads in Central Otago was estimated at $750,000-$900,000.

Information for caption sourced from NIWA - NIWA Historic Weather Event Catalogue December 1995 South Island Flooding

The image shown here was taken by the Electricity Corporation of New Zealand on December 14 1995. Photos were taken by Ciaran Keogh. Images displayed are images 089/8 and 087/29

Reference: ABZK W5484 22670 Box 280 (R23168133)

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