WEATHER SIGNS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21117, 19 March 1934, Page 16

WEATHER SIGNS

FltriT GROWER'S OBSERVATIONS Observations of the weather taken over a number of years, the signs that usually preceded rain, and the application of. wellknown English sayings to the New Zealand climate were discussed at a meeting of the Christchurch Tomato and Stone Fruit Growers' Association on Saturday night by Mr J. Holland. Mr H. f. Falla was in the chair. Mr Holland said he had found \ery reliable the old saying: -Rain before seven, fine before 11." Another saying was: -A low sunrise is a sign of fine weather." He sunposed that a low sunrise wuuid oe when the sun came up clear and then disappeared behind a ban!: uf cloud. That showed that the sky at sea was clear, and that the break was not very far awav. On the other hand, a high sunrise was often a sign of bad weather. The old saying—"A red skv ni the morning, shepherd's warning" —was not reliable in Canterbury because rain from the west icil mi the West Coast and a red skv ::i the morning was usually the si en of a warm day, probably of the nor'-wester type. Those skit- were, experienced more oilen in 'he early winter than at other linn-- of tiie year. A "dramatic" storm usually exhausted itself in about half an hour, but steady ram more often than not came on very qiiie'Jv. Heavy sudden ram seldom lasted long. South-west weather frequently brought ram, but the first break meant the beginning of the end 10 times out of 20. Weather from'the east was peculiar, and a real soaKmg rain from that direction was very seldom experienced. Heavy skies to the east usually meant dry weather. When conditions about August and September seemed to indicate a drought it was usually found that rain fell within a month ol the equinox.