UNRELIABLE CONDITIONS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 89, 12 October 1923, Page 8

UNRELIABLE CONDITIONS

The data upon which the Director of the Meteorological Office (Mr. D. C. Bates) largely depends for his forecasts was evidently not sufficiently complete to indicate the pleasant change in the weather which has been experienced to-day, although it was stated yesterday that the nature of the conditions was euch •8 to make accurate forecasting difficult. While the change to-day has come as a pleasant surprise, there is still an element of unreliability "in the air. The improvement, Mr; Bates says, cannot be relied upon, although there is a probability that the high pressure will hold off the disturbance longer, most likely for twenty-four hours as far as Wellington is concerned. The conditions are similar to those which were experienced a couple of weeks ago—high pressure to the north and east is holding off a disturbance to the west, which may be accounting for a repetition of the bad weather reecntly experienced in Victoria. While the weather generally has been improved in the Dominion, a good deal of rain has fallen since yesterday in various places. This morning at 9 o'clock, there was rain between Castlepoint and Kaikoura and in other places, notably at Waipawa, where 2.38 inches were recorded. The winds have been moderate, and one disturbance has passed in the north, but another located to the west has had a neutralising effect. The barometer now shows a falling tendency, and mild and hazy conditions are expected, with the possibility of an unfavourable change. The winds should bo moderate and variable, northerlies prevailing and increasing north of East Cape and Kawhia, and easterlies! backing to northerlies, and then increasing, elsewhere.