WIDESPREAD RAIN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 304, 23 December 1932, Page 3

WIDESPREAD RAIN.

MIXED RECEPTION. BAD FOR THE HOLIDAYS. ; WELCOMED BY FARMERS. Wet weather at Christmas will be anathema to the holiday-maker and a blessing to the farmer; it is never possible to please everyone. Possibly the disappointment of the picnicker will be tempered by the renewed interest everybody has been compelled to take in butter and cheese, upon which the province depends to such a .large extent for its prosperity. The picnicker who hae been compelled to alter his plans for spending the holidays in the sunshine will probably stifle a few growls when he remembers that the downpour means pounds in the pockets of the man on the land. Grass paddocks have been burnt up much earlier than usual owing to the exceptionally long spell of fine weather, and for weeks the . farmers have been anxiously looking for a change. Milk returns have been checked in many dis tricts at least two months before the usual time. "Christmas Floods" of Old. Old hands say that in their young days rain was always expected at this time of the year. The "Christinas floods" were a recognised feature of the weather in the North, and were always looked for and welcomed, as the timber-getters depended on them to swell the creeks, down which the kauri logs were floated to the booms, and so on to the sawmills. Latterly, however, probably owing to the denudation of the hills of their bush covering, the weather lias been changing, and the end of the year has seen a smaller rainfall. Some Decembers have been almost flood months, even in Auckland. The average fall for the month is just under 3in. The record for the month was just over B}in, which fell during December, 1916. So far this December has seen only about an inch and a quarter of rain, so it is still much below the average, though the present rain will bring the figure nearer the monthly average.

Three Days' Rain. According to the weather experts the present depression is very widespread, and it will probably run the usual course of the old-fashioned north-casters— three days' rain, and then a shift of the wind to the west and fine weather once more. Seeing that the rain set in last night, holiday-makers may confidently hope that the usual three clays will see the end of the depression, and that the weather will be fine for the holiday on Monday, after all. In the 24 hours ended at 9 o'clock this morning ,49in of rain had fallen in Auckland. The rainfall for the month so far is 1.72 in.