WEATHER IN 1929.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19816, 2 January 1930, Page 13

WEATHER IN 1929.

MAGNETIC OBSERVATORY RECORDS. RAINFALL BELOW AVERAGE. The rainfall figures for 1929 show that five of the months experienced rainfall in cxccsb of normal. January showed the greatest excess, and as the preceding month had been even wetter, a rainfall in February, of only 6 per cent, of normal did not cause much concern. Another large excess in March was recorded. After that until December, except for June and July, the falls were below normal, the rainfall in October —a mere 2 per cent, of normal—being practically nothing. From July to December each month showed some deficiency from normal, and with such a dry October its continued deficiency caused concern to many. Except for the spring of 1910, the spring of 1929 was the driest in the period covered by the Observatory records. The heavy rainfall in December was much needed. In January floods occurred along the near coast, and more than two-thirds of the total fall for that month occurred on the 23rd and 24th. Fortunately the fall in March was better spaced throughout the month. A perusal of Table 5 shows that in Christchurch, a large number of rainy days does not necessarily mea,n a heavy fall for the year. It is a fact that the wettest year had fowcr rainy days than the driest year had, although the year with the smallest number of rainy days was certainly a dry one, while a wet year occurred when the total of wet days was the greatest. Table 1 sets out the rainfall figures in such a way that the corresponding months of 1938 and 1929 may readily be compared. Table 2 shows the relation borne by the 1929 figures to those for normal values as the year progressed. For many comparison purposes Table 3 will be handy. In order to represent the seusons most closely, summer was taken as from December Ist, 1928, to February 28th, 1929; the other seasons arc then each of three consecutive months. Table 5 shows clearly what the rainfall figures have been for each year since 1901. Tables 6 and 7 deal with air temperatures. From table 7it will be seen that the greatest tendency was for departures from normal to be towards low temperatures. Table 8 deals with wind directions as at 9 a.m. It is informative to go through this table and to note how some directions preponderate in certain seasons of the year. To those who contemplate building houses in Christchurch it is worth especial study. It was an analysis of such figures which determined the orientation of the local open-air schools, and there seems to be no reason why some of the virtues possessed by these buildings should not find expression in construction as applied to ordinary residences. Some interesting features of the year which are not tabulated were noted from timr to time. February was the driest for Jl years. Foggy nights were frequent in March and April. Autumntinted foliage appeared at the beginning of April. May was the coldest May for 15 years, and the driest on the records. Considerable vegetation growth occurred at the Beginning of June. August was frosty, but. sunny, and hardy shrubs whose sap solutions were concentrated made good growth. In September some gardeners acclaimed an early spring, but in October they were complaining of its lateness. Actually th« re- ' cords favour the latter view. Meteorological textbooks show that public memory was ever thus, arid that well-kept records always triumph over reminiscences. October was the driest on record, and in parts grass began to dry off. Late frosts did damage in October and November, and to a slight extent in December. Although the rainfall in December was not exceptionally large, the rainy days amounted to 19.

TntaU 1929 .. » uoi m § § m in n m 192S .. Hi 1061 87J 9'i 8} 1001 lSf 191 « A mean r»ir .. 7 11» 95 8 4 138 1* M «* Th» toUli-gfrw »• *'• m«»n y«w'* tw»M«t th» mwa ▼*)«« for th« dii««ti«M ooacernod w*t » period of IS y»ar». NAPIER'S RAINFALL. (RIM AMOCJATtOF TOUMWAIf-) NAFUJR, JIMBIMWT 1. Tw*nty-«ig!rt *nd » imlf imjin* of rain foil on 141 d»y» in N*pi«r during th»:.w"" ju*t cionwi, agftimit- 41.78 on ISO d»v« in ihm pron'mi* ymr. Th*» *verag« over fl*» past ttrelv* yetr« is ihottt} thirty inohwL

TABLE 1. The detailed rainfall figures for the year* 1928 and 1929 are an follower1928. Month. Inches. Rainy days. X January .. 0.489 5 21 February ,. 0.998 7 57 March .. 1.105 9 85 April irw 1.238 12 65 May *, 2.290 11 86 .Tune .. 4.832 30 190 July ,. 0.477 8 18 August .. 1.833 12 105 September .. 0.933 10 47 October .. 2.212 14 109 November .. 1.397 7 77 December ' .. 5.995 14 228 ; Totals .. 23.789 1929. 129 Month. Inches. Rainy days. X January ,, 4.070 11 177 February .. 0.100 4 6 March .. 3.490 11 178 April .. 1.483 12 78 May .. .0.510 . 5 20 June .. 3.080 14 117 1 July . . 3.697 16 189 August .. 1.220 8 70 September .. 1.400 12 78 October .. 0.048 4 2 November ... 1.060 11 59 - December .. 3.400 19 128 Totals '. . 23.558 127. X: Rainfall for month In per eent. of normal for that month. TABLE 2. Rainfall from January 1st to the •nd of the various ; months: — Mesn J929. Per Month. year. in. cent. January 2.296 4.070 177 February .» 3.864 4.170 108 March .. S.882 7.660 130 April 7.761 9.143 118 May .. 10.324 9.653 93 June .. 12.963 12.733 98 July ,. 15.614 16.480 105 August .. 17.348 17.650 103 September .. 19.273 19.050 99 October k. 21.228 19.098 90 November „ 23.009 20.1S8 88 December ,. 25.668 TABLE S. 23.558 88 Seasonal Rainfall. Summer. AutumnWinter. Sprinr. | 1920. 10.165 5.488 7.997 2.508 Mean year 6.495 6.460 7.034 5.661 Per cent. 156 85 TABLE 4. 114 44 Wettest 24 hours in each month:— 1928. 1929. | Month, Date. In. Date. In January „ 2nd 0.400 24th 1.465 February X. 26th 0366 28th 0.040 March *. 16th 0.390 l»th 1.180 April May „ 30th 0.710 i 23th 0.828 .28th 0.060 26th 0.270 June. „ 17th 1.780 19th 1.700 July „, 7th 0.160 15th 0.640 August i. 15th 0.6A3 2 let 0.510 September „ 22nd 0.373 20th 0.580 October ,. 25th 0.780 13th 0.020 November ,, 11th 0.622 26th 0.240 December 2. 12th 1.410 TABLE 6. 33rd 1.980 EAINTALLL SINCE 1903. No. of days on 1 YearInches. which rain fell. | 190-2 — , *, 38.780 130 1903 I + *»•«» 118' 1904 _ i, 83.361 180 1905 „ A 28.440 118 1906 „» 29.496 196 1907 I + 10.608 181 1908 A „ 08.917 188 1909 I. „ 35.283 180 1910 X w 2s:i8i 131 1911 X ». 29.85S 137 1912 L - 27-394 lift 1918 J M 97J84 141 ' 1914 « M 19.600 194 1915 #l> *• 15»WM 186 1916 . „ 24,261 147 1917 „ .. 27.888 189 1918 M 37.903 IK 1919 #•] * 31.96ft 114 1900 * t» 251478 198 1921 J » 98.098 190 1923 - ■» 30,818 T*7 1923 2 *. SLS10 188 1924 Z w. 35.354 185 1925 _• «. 88.400 188 1826 X >r 98*46 140 1927 • ".#. 21.864 135 1928 ,» 38/789 199 1929 "■.„ - i' SttSW 127 AYcraro #. .25.088 183

AIR TEMPERATURE. TABLE 6, Approx- Exmnen treme Extreme Month. temp. men. D»t«. min. Date. Jin. .. 61.4 88.6 18th 41.1 Mth Feb. .. 60.9 88.8 26th 89.3 18U> Mar. .. 6T.5 79.0 36th 88.0 89th Apr. .. 63.6 m.s 9th 88.1 let M*y .. M.4 66.2 8th 38.0 38th June .. 44.9 «.3 filh 97 6 let July .. 42.1 5S 14th 38.4 lift Aug. .. 48.1 <U!.« 18th 3KJ and Sep. .. 47.1 67.R 2nd 37.3 91#t Oci. .. 68.8 76.7 Mb 39.0 Olttli Nov. „ SS.8 77.0 31et 83.4 18th Deo. «. .68.6 00.8 29th 88.0 30th TAPLE T. (Tvmperatura range* from noxvuel.? 1339. 35 yeere' Above Bel** Month. •vnrage. Ffth. Feiu Jm. ». 61.0 0.4 — Feb. M»r. .. eo.c ., 88.1 0.4 — — mApril .- 68.8 . Off Mey - 47.R - €X Jon* M 4S.6 *** JC July -. 42.8 Aug. • 44 8 — 1S0 Sept. «. 46.9 V 1.8 o«t. I «83 0* -*> Nor. -, 65.» — (M8 Deo. X 69.3 wind - ©.* TASXuS 8* Direction of wind 9.80 e.m. (Sumner Tim»). number of deye from the 8 mtfthi direction point*. Intermediate direction* entered helf to prooeding end hell to followiic mein point, e.g., K.N.E. | N. end 1 NJ5.» >J II Month it; at £f or 1 pc . ■*, ■§ i » » Ss * o Jen. .. u 9t $| - - H10| - 18 Feb. ..!«> » - • 1 A 1 1| « M*r. .. §13 1| - . _ 8 1 —8 April - - a* 4 - - » 104 i — ia M*y • 1 t i i i' • m »■' June .M i- - - H *•„«-. « July „ — 9$ 1| — . — 38 — • " • Aug. .17 1- - J, 18} 9 3 4 Kept. - *i«i « - - 11 8 34 I 4 Oct. « 1 lfli 3i - - i » 14 1 « Not. „ 11 IS ft} - - — « 1 1 4 Bee .. mm - - — 10ft 8| 8 —