FEBRUARY'S WEATHER

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 57, 8 March 1932, Page 5

FEBRUARY'S WEATHER

BREAKING OF MOTJGHT,

DOMINION SUMMARY

In his summary of the Dominion's weather for the month t)f February, Dr. E. Kidson, Director of Meteorological Services, remarks that the weather during the month was remarkable for the complete break . in the drought which had prevailed in many districts during the preceding months. At the end of the first week, owing to a pro* longed period of deficient rainfall, the situation was critical in parts of Hawkes Bay,. Poverty Bay, and Canterbury, and only less serions in. tha Wairairapa, the- Manawatu, "and the Marlborough. districts. But the . Do* •minion once more showed the excellence and reliability of its climats when, during the following fortnight, two spells of heavy rain occurred. In. the first,: the area principally affected was in the eastern portion of the North, Island from Cook Strait to East Cape^ Where there had been drought in that area, it was fully relieved,' the falls being particularly heavy from Hawkes. Bay northwards. The second rainy spell was between the 17th and 22nd. On this occasion the whole country; benefited, heavy falls being practically universal. The drought was now; broken in. Canterbury, Marlboroufeh, and the Manawatu, and the whole as« pect of the season had changed. The> rain was too late to save wheat crops or even-to fill out the grain. On, the other hand, it did some damage to standing and stooked crops. Some turnip crops also had to be resown, and. in places grass seed which had germinated had already been killed by the drought. But abundance of winter feed is now assured, and- there has been: a Vigorous growth of grass. Stock are in good condition, andi milk yields have improved again. • The amount of rain for the Dominion; as a whole was very .heavy and must have approximated 50 per cent, abova the average. In eastern districts bes tween Oamaru and Timaru, from Wellington to East Cape, and about Auck« land and the Coromandel Peninsula, many stations recorded more than: double the average for February and; some three or four times that amount. Nevertheless^ parts of the Auckland; Peninsula, most of Taranaki, and parts of Southland and of the interior of Otago, had less than the normal. In most places temperatures, were! below the normal for February, but itt the interior the departures were seldom marked, and some inland parts of the North Island were warmer v; than, usual. The amount of bright sunshine was much, below average. Indeed, in.. many places it was the cloudiest Feb* ruary on record. PRESSXJKE OF SYSTEMS. At the beginning of the month theraj was a continuance of the series of westerly depressions which had; been pas* sing rapidly across the Dominion. On) the 7th, however, a tropical cyclone developed in.-:the neighbourhood of Fiji. Moving southwards during the next few days it became very deep and ex? tensive. This storm controlled thai; weather in New Zealand until the 15th» Rain commenced.on the 7th or vßth, and from then on until the end of the period most of the North Island ex* cept Taranaki and western Wellington received good rains, with many heavyj falls. The heaviest were from Coofe Strait to East. Cape, and. especially; from. Hawkes Bay northwards, the totals in the "latter district being very; heavy indeed. The 9th and 13th were the wettest days. A record, flood occurred in the Poverty Bay flats on thai 10th. During all this" period'iiputheast-i erly winds; prevailed over the North! Island, gales being reported at many; stations. Towards the end the weather; became cold. „-,'■/-, Theßtorm responsible for, the abovementioned rains had moved; away eastward by the 15th. The weather remained sultry and humid'and every«i thing was favourable for renewedjrains should a disturbance develop. For some days, however, pressure variations were slight, and rain was rather sporadic in. character, thunderstorms occurring in. many districts. On the 19th a cyclone moved from near Lord Howe Island just past the northern extremity of New Zealand, and its centre was east' of Eussell on the morning,of the 20th. Strong north-north-easterly winds were; caused all over New Zealand, and especially along the east coast. During the night of the 19th there were veryheavy rains in North Otago and South. Canterbury, and record floods occurred between Hampden and Timaru, Extensive damage was done to roads, bridges, fences, etc. The rain continued on the 20th, practically the whole Dominion, except parts of Otago and Southland, recording heavy falls. The number of totals on the 20th, which exceeded^ two inches, was remarkable. Many rivers were .flooded in both Islands. The > storm did not disappear from pur weather charts until the 24th.

The month finished with another spell of westerly weatfrer.