Yesterday’s Weather Not Unseasonal

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30531, 28 August 1964, Page 1

Yesterday’s Weather Not Unseasonal

The light snowfalls in high areas, and rain, drizzle, and a bleak south-westerly wind elsewhere, made yesterday a not unusual winter's day. What made it appear unseasonal was the calm sunny weather of the preceding five days. After waking to frosts of 6 degrees at the Christchurch airport, and 8 degrees in the Botanic Gardens, Christchurch residents shivered in temperatures which remained between 39 degrees and 42 degrees from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. Yesterday's maximum temperature of 42 degrees was low compared with the 62 degree maximum of Wednesday. In the city the Government Life building weather clock showed 44 degrees at 1 p.m.

Much of the rainfall yesterday was mainly around Christchurch and along the

coast to the north. There was not much inland. Until the rain stopped about mid-after-noon only 10 points had fallen.

The light snow was visible on the higher parts of Banks Peninsula—Mounts Herbert and Sinclair—and along the Lighthouse range. The reason for the sharp, cold change was a complex depression over the north Tasman which moved over the North Island and which yesterday lay to the east of the country. This brought the cold south-westerly winds, snow and- the rain.

According to a meteorological office spokesman at Christchurch airport. August 27 last year was a normal winter’s day with temperatures in the 50s and rather cloudy weather. An improvement in the weather is expected today.