23.96 IN OF RAIN

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31728, 11 July 1968, Page 1

23.96 IN OF RAIN

Year’s Total In Gardens With five months and a half of tile year still to go, Christchurch has had a rainfall only 2in short of the yearly average. The chief observer at the Harewood weather office (Mr A. K. Brown) said yesterday that from the official beginning of winter on June 1 until yesterday 4.53 in of rain had fallen at the airport, and 5.81 in in the Botanic Gardens. The highest rainfall in the gardens for the same period is 6.95 in, in 1939. "As well as being wet, July, 1939 was the coldest ever known in New Zealand since records were kept. Snow fell from Bluff to Northland,” said Mr Brown. There were 23 wet days In the month, and from July 1 to July 10 4.2 in of rain fell, making the winter of 1939 the wettest on record. The wettest year to date was 1951, when 39.76 in fell, but most of the rain fell at the beginning and end of the year, the winter being relatively dry. This year 23.961 n of rain has fallen in the gardens and the long-term average to the middle of July is 14.76 in. “The next five months will determine whether it will be our wettest year,” said Mr Brown. This year the ground had been saturated since the storm in April, and any rain of more than .75in tended to lie. .