Coldest June for 21 years

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32959, 4 July 1972, Page 14

Coldest June for 21 years

It was the coldest June in Christchurch for 21 years, according to a summary of the weather prepared by the Meteorological Office at Christchurch airport.

There were 25 ground frosts during the month, many of them severe, and this accounted for very low earth temperatures. On the night of June 24-25 the lowest temperature for 12 years was recorded.

As the predominantly clear skies produced a near record run of ground frosts they also produced a high number of hours of sunshine —143, or 25 per cent above the June average. The cold south-westerly conditions prevalent during the second half of May continued through most of June. The mean maximum temperatures were the lowest since 1951 while the mean minimum was equal to June, 1913, as the second lowest ever recorded, says the summary. The most wintry conditions for many years, with gale south-westerly winds and showers of snow, hail and sleet, hit most of Banks Peninsula and much of Christchurch on the 19th of the month.

Fortunately, says the summary, the blizzard conditions

did not persist although temperatures remained very low for the next few days.

Rainfall during June was about 25 per cent below average at the airport and 20 per cent below in the Botanic Gardens. Most of the month's rain fell between June 5 and 18.

South to south-westerly winds prevailed throughout the month and were generally strqnger than normal, with a top gust of 49 knots on June 2.