RAIN UNLIKELY UNTIL END OF MONTH

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 120, 14 February 1935, Page 8

RAIN UNLIKELY UNTIL END OF MONTH

Meteorologist’s Review DRIFT OF AIR FROM THE EAST There is no sign of the drought breaking generally just new and it mav be the end of the month or the beginning of the next month before a general change in conditions occurs. This was" the opinion given yesterday by Dr E. Kidson, director of the Meteorological Office, in au interview with a representative of “The Dominion.” , T , , Some parts of the North Island, Hawke’s Bay and Poverty Bay had already obtained some relief, and to a lesser extent this had occurred in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Auckland, and the Wairarapa, Dr. Kidson proceeded. The drought was most acute in Mid-Canterbury and North Canterbury, and was severe in most of Marlborough and South Canterbury. Parts of North Canterbury bad suffered "particularly through lack of sufficient supplies of drinking water for stock, and a number of sheep had been lost.

February had so far been as relatively hot as the previous month, although the temperature had fallen in the last few days. The present weather was associated with the drift of air from the east, whereas it normally drifted from the opposite direction. This drift also explained the comparative lack of wind in Wellington recently. It was impossible, because of it, for storms to move from the west, and if they did so they were dissipated to a large extent when they arrived here, despite the fact that through Australia generally conditions were now rather disturbed. Wellington had its winds from the north and northwest, and these could not move against the eastern current.

Conditions might last for some time yet. As a rule the eastern air current did not drift far into autumn, aud before the end of the month or early in next month there would quite possibly be a change. 11