LOWEST RAINFALL SINCE 1906

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 106, 1 November 1930, Page 11

LOWEST RAINFALL SINCE 1906

HIGH PROPORTION OF STORMY, ; DAYS ■

"Although a cold month with cloudy mornings was experienced, once again in October rainfair was much below average, and gardens and lawns suffered from lack of water," stated Dr. E. Kidson, Director of Meteorology, today, wjieu discussing October weather for Wellington. ! The total rainfall at Kelbura, was 1.35 in, which is the lowest since 190.6, when .713 in was recorded. Tho driest October hitherto experienced was in 1894, when there was only .42in ot rain;. The number.. of wet days last month, fourteen, was equal to the average. At tho Karori' reservoir, there wero thirteen wet days only, but a total fall of 1.52 in, which is 40 per cent., of the normal.. . ~'■. :\ .'J The following is a list of some of the mean values of the various meteorological quantities for the month, together with the . .corresponding 'averages for previous Octobers:—Pressure at 9 a.m., 29.82 in; average, 29.893 in. Mean maximum temperature, 56.7deg; average, 60.3deg.; highest maximum, 65.3. Mean minimum, 44.2deg; average, 48.3deg; lowest minimum, 38.3deg. Approximate mean, temperature, 50.4deg,- average, 54.3deg. Mean minimum temperature on the grass, 40.3deg; average, 42.1; lowest, 29.5ddg, on the 12th. ilinimuni amount of cloud at 9 a.m., 7 5-10 cloudedj average, 5 4-10. Total hours of bvnshine, 184.7; average, J. 74.1. Mean run of the wind in twenty-four hours, 249 miles; average, 285. Temperatures at Kelburn are lower than those experienced in tho lower' levels of the city, where previous observations have been taken, but even allowing for that,- tho values listed above are very low. In October, 1902, the mean temperature was 51.4deg, and that month was possibly as cold as or slightly colder than the one just passed. Otherwise, October, 1930, was certainly the coldest since 1864. A thunderstorm occurred on ,th"c 18th; hail fell on the 27th; and there was a frost on the 12th. Although the total wind for the month was not high for October, which is usually a windy month, there was a high proportion of stormy days. Gales were experienced on the Ist, 6th, 7th, 9th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 24ih, 27th, 30th, and 31st. A particularly violent north-west gale was recorded on the night of the 30th, 611 miles run being. recorded during the twenty-four hours preceding 9 a.m. on the 31st. One gust at Kelburn reached 75 miles an hour. The gales on tho Ist, 18th, 19th, and 27_th were from a south or south-east directio2i. The highest rainfall occurred on the lutli, when 20 points were recorded.