Wet, cloudy September

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33654, 2 October 1974, Page 18

Wet, cloudy September

Last month was the wet. test September since 1957, j and consequently sunshine was well below average, according to the Meteorological I Office in Christchurch I A total of 102 mm of rain [fell on the 11 rain days in i the month, well above the i September average of 41mm. It fell on ground already saturated by a wet autumn and winter, and made the soil unworkable in many I areas until a dry period in the middle of the mon<h. I Only 125 sunshine hours were recorded, compared with the September average I of 164. The total sunshine to I date this year. 1245 hours, is well below the average of |1378 hours for the first nine j months of the year. I Daytime temperatures were ' normal but. because of the cloudy conditions, night minimum temperatures were well above the average, resulting in far fewer frosts and higher I soil temperatures. The mean temperature for the month was 9.Bdeg.. with a maximum of 20deg. on Sep- ■ tember 22. The lowest was ;2deg. on September 20 and i September 25.