OCTOBER WEATHER

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 38, 8 November 1933, Page 6

OCTOBER WEATHER

Dry, With Cold Spells AN EARLY SEASON October was a very dry mpntb, according to tbe Director of Meteorological Services, Dr. E. Kidson. Though the first 20 days were mild, some very cold weather for the time of year followed, he reports. Tbe snowfalls between the night of October 20 and October 23, in addition to being heavy, were most unusually widespread for October. The frosts following the snow caused serious damage. In Cen-' tral Otago the season’s fruit crop was almost' totally destroyed. The qold and father windy weather, combined with the lack of rain, checked the growth of pastures, and at the end of the month, owing to the general lack of moisture in the subsoil, the situation was distinctly dangerous. ■ The Nelson district and Marlborough were especially unfortunate in missing the rains, when other areas had moderate amounts, and pastures and crops suffered correspondingly. Nevertheless the country as a whole was standing up remarkably well under the dry conditions. Feed was actually becoming scarce in a comparatively few districts only. The lambing season has been an excellent one. Milk yields are still very high,'and stock are in good condition. The season is a particularly early one, most places being a fortnight or more ahead of the usual stage of development. The only places where the total rainfall exceeded the average were in western districts of the South Island and on the coast from Dunedin southward. Even in these areas excesses were not general. Over practically the whole of the North Island the deficit was considerable. In the South Island, in addition to Nelson and Marlborough, western Canterbury and Otago had, in many places, less than half the average. ' Temperatures Below Normal. The mean temperatures were almost everywhere below the normal for October, and in most places considerably so. Christchurch proved an exception, the mean there being O.Sdeg. above normal. Until October 20 conditions were generally mild, and Christchurch’s high figure was due to some very warm davs experienced, during this The cold spell from October 21 tq.OctOr ber 24 was, however, among the worst known for October. Severe frosts occurred between October 22 and October 24, the time, of maximum severity, being latest in the more' northern areas. The most disastrous effects were in Central Otago, where the fruit crop was practically wiped out. At Stoke, near Nelson, also, much damage was done to orchards, but, on the whole, fruit growers in Canterbury, Nelson, and Hawke’s Bay were fortunate, and suffered comparatively little. Losses of potatoes, tomatoes, and small fruits were heavy in many districts. There were frosts again at many places a week later. Though not severe, they checked growth, and in the Nelson and Marlborough districts intensified the effect of the rain scarcity on pastures and vegetation generally. Sunshine was generally much above normal. Nelson recorded 283.3, Blenheim 264.8, and Lake Tekapo 246.6 hours. '■ . ■■>■’■ / ■. 'At the beginning of the month the, weather was controlled by a strongly; developed high-pressure system, and fine conditions ruled throughout the first week. During October 7 and October 8 a westerly depression passed, causing scattered rains. After a second spell of high pressure, a series of westerly depressions followed one another closely across the Dominion between October 11 and October 17. During this period rain was fairly general, but heavy falls were not numerous except in western districts. Tbe deepest of the depressions, passing on October 14, was accompanied in places by thunderstorms. Snow fell on the high levels of Canterbury. Tlte Month’s Storms. The most .important of the month’s storms were the two which occurred between October 20 and 23. Both developed on the coast of New South Wales, where each was of cyclonic form, though connected with a westerly depression passing in the south. While the first was crossing New Zealand on October 20, it deepened rapidly, and in its rear the southerly winds proved to be unusually cold for the time of year. Snow fell on much of the high country, particularly on the eastern side of tbe South Island and in the Wellington province. 'A temporary clearance followed at most places on the Saturday, but the second'depression passed rapidly eastward over the Dominion, deepening in the process as Its predecessor had done- Again the southerlies were severe. Snow was widespread on all the high levels, even to the Gisborne district. There were falls, also, on the Canterbury Plains and coastal areas of Otago and Southland. During-October 22 and. 23 hailstorms were very numerous in districts east of the ranges. Rain was practically general during this period. The last scries of depressions was experienced between October 28 and 30. Comparatively little rain accompanied them, but they were followed on October 30 and 31 by cold southerlies.