COLDEST ON RECORD

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 137, 6 December 1930, Page 11

COLDEST ON RECORD

THE PAST THREE MONTHS

A BACKWARD SEASON

Tor the third month in succession, the weather in November was the coldest, for the Dominion as a whole, experienced, since, the...taking of records commenced,, states tho Director of Meteorological Services (Dr. E. Kidson). It was. also very stormy, westerly or south-westerly gales beinj of frequent occurrence. Thunder and hail storms were rather numerous, also. In consequence, of the adverse conditions, the- season is. even more backward .than at. :the end of October. Growth of vegetation, has been very poor. All crops'are in a backward state, and the prospects for the hay crop, in particular, arc in most districts tho reverse of bright; ■'The cutting of ensilage has commenced in parts of the Auckland province, where the growth of feed has been fair. . Stock appear to bo in fair condition generally, but there have beeii. some' losses of. sheep, principally in eonnction • with shearing. ; RAINFALL VAKIES. . The rainfall was, generally speaking, above, or below average, according to whether or not the district concerned normally receives most of its rainfall in westerly Weather. In the eastern portions of the Wellington province, in Hawkes Bay, and in most of Auckland, there was a considerable deficit. On the north-west side of the East Cape Peninsula', between East Cape and Opotiki,. some places had an excess. South of Auckland, as. far inland, about, as the Waikato River, the rainfall was in general considerably abovo tho average.' 'xho. same is true, also, as regards .Taranaki and Western Wellington, the. area of. heavy rainfall extending, beyond the main, range into the western parts of the Wairai'apa. In the South Island a wet month was experienced •on all the West Coast and in .Otago. • In Canterbury and Marlborougli" conditions varied, some parts having more aiid some less than the average, the drier parts tending, on tho whole, to have a deficit. , LOW TEMPERATUBES. The mean temperature was the lowest recorded., for November at Waihi, Tauranga, Hamilton, New Plymouth, Wellington, Christchurch, and Waimate. At Auckland, Napier, Nelson, and Duuedin, though the month was coldj lower temperatures have been recorded." There were no days of exceptional severity, but numbers that were. very cold and none that was j very . warni.-, Several frosts occurred, those of.-the 24th.and the 28th being the heaviest. . The latter did considerable damage to small crops in the Wairarapa'and' Hawkes Bay. There were further falls of 'snow: on the ranges, that of :.the -23rd extending to fairly 16w 1eve15.."...;.." \ WESTERLY WEATHEK. Until the 27th, westerly weather prevailed, and between the 9th and the 26th- the . type was very pronounced. This is ■ a feature common in spring, but which has been less conspicuous than usual during recent years. Vshaped depressions advanced from the west at frequent intervals. The passage of the trough or lino of lowest pressure was generally accompanied by squally southerly changes, of which ■ tho most' pronounced occurred on the 6th, Bth, 13th, 15th, 19th or 20th, 23rd, and 20th. • The depressions which passed on the 13th, 15th, 19th, 23rd, and 26\th.were .all;"deep, and each produced'widespread : rain, with heavy falls in places,: and .very rough-weather. Barometers were particularly low between the 13th and the 19th, and thereafter recovered only gradually.. Boisterous westerly gales did some damage at Auckland 'on :the 15th. On the 19th some' of 'the'streets of Greymouth were flooded .owing to a local downpour. The depression of the 26th had a cyclonic centre in its northern portion, the track of which passed close to the southern border of the Nelson province. Except for parts of the eastern districts of the South Island, heavy rain was almost general on, this date. Severe.floods occurred in the Hutt Valley and at Otaki. On the 28th a very intense ■_ anticyclone moved on to the Dominion, barbmeters rising to over 30.5 in. The weather till the end of the month was controlled by this anti-cyclone, and was a marked improvement on that of the preceding fortnight.