OCTOBER'S WEATHER

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 111, 6 November 1935, Page 7

OCTOBER'S WEATHER

DOMINION SUMMARY

FAVOURABLE SPRING MONTH

October can be regarded as having been a favourable spring month, the main features of which were the generally mild temperatures and a plentiful 'rainfall, especially in the last ten days, states the -Acting Director of Meteorological Services (Mr. B. V. Pemberton) in his notes on the weather in New Zealand for October. Over the.greater part of the Dominion there was a vigorous growth of vegetation, and consequently, stock are in splendid condition, and there has been a remarkable increase in dairy'production. The total rainfall was above tha average over, most of the North. Island, but below in the northern part of the Auckland peninsula, and at a few isolated places in the Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, and Taranaki districts. In the South Island an excess was recorded north of Greymouth and Akaroa;' while further south there was a deficiency. The greatest percentage above normal in the North Island occurred at Napier, where it was 88 per cent., and in the South Island at Waiau,-,with 93 per cent, above. Temperatures were - nearly everywhere above the average, although the departure was nowhere .a great one. Napier' had 2.6 degrees above, Auckland 2.2, and places in South Canterbury and Otago had over 1 degree above. In the coastal area • between Wellington city and New Plymouth and at Invercargill it was very slightly below, while in North Canterbury it did hot vary much from the average. Christchurch experienced a frost of 9 degrees on the morning of October 20 and one of 8 degrees on October 16, but otherwise there were no severe frosts during the month, many districts reporting none at all. ."Owing to a considerable amount of dull weather during the latter part of the month sunshine was less than the average in most districts, the only excess being experienced in North Auckland, the East Coast district south from. Christchurch, and in Southland, The largest total amount-recorded was 215 hours at Napier. Tauranga had 211, Masterton 198, Nelson 193, and Christchurch 186 hours. .J- '-.■■' PRESSURE SYSTEMS. Up till the 13th, although pressure was often high over the North Island, frequent depressions of the westerly, type moved across the South Island. Consequently, although temporary changes to south-westerly occurred in places, the winds were mainly northwesterly or westerly and invariably strong about and south of Cook Strait. What little rain fell during this period was confined mostly to the western and far southern parts of the South Island, the weather remaining fair and warm in all eastern areas. ... ■ During the. night of the 13th a rather deep depression of the above type crossed the Dominion and by the morning of the 14th winds had become southwesterly or southerly, generally, rain accomanying the change in most .districts, with a drop in temperature. The rainfall was only light: and scattered in most of the eastern districts. A slight secondary which developed off Cape Egmont during the night of the 15th and crossed the central portion of the North Island on^the 16th was responsible for thunder and hail at places between Taranaki and the East Coast' district of the North Island A heavy hailstorm occurred in Wanganui on the afternoon of the 16th, the storm in the up-river district being ri particularly severe one. During the next two days, while an anticyclone was crossing the Dominion, fine weather prevailed generally. Oh the 19th a rather sharp depression passed rapidly over the country and a southerly change which followed in the night brought rain, though chiefly light falls, to most districts and some snow to some high-level places in the South Island. By the morning of the 20th this disturbance had disappeared and tha front of a new anticyclone had moved on to New Zealand; an improvement setting in generally. The 21st was a brilliantly fine day over most of the Dominion, but by the morning of the 22nd the anticyclone was passing off New Zealand and an extensive and complex depression was approaching from the westward. The latter was the most important depression of the month, at it was responsible for warm, beneficial rains throughout the Dominion during the night of the 22nd and from the 23rd to the 26th. It was unusually slow moving, but winds associated with it were fortunately not unduly strong. By the morning of the 26th the central portion of the depression had definitely commenced to move away, eastwards, sfnd improved conditions were in evidence on the 27th. The anticyclone which was following, however, unfortuntaely took a northerly course, passing to the north of New Zealand, and a depression had extended on to the Dominion by the 28th. Consequently, conditions became unsettled in western areas, with scattered rain, heavy falls occurring in the Cook Strait area on the latter day. By the morning x>i the 29th this disturbance had greatly intensified and its centre was located east of the South Island. It had passed beyond effective range on the 30th, but a new cyclonic depression had moved from the north-west on to the North Island. Dull, misty weather prevailed on the last two days, heavy rains occurring in the North Island and parts of the East Coast districts of the South Island, the Wairarapa, and parts of the Wellington district experiencing considerable flooding. The winds were strong and chiefly southwesterly south of New Plymouth and Napier, but northerlies and westerlies prevailed in the northern half of the North Island. In Westland and Otago the weather was mainly fine during these two days.

Holiday-makers to the number of well over 170,000 have gone cruising in British liners this summer. They have paid £2,500,000 for their ticketi.