RAIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 59, 10 March 1936, Page 6

RAIN

AND MOKE RAIN

YESTERDAY'S DELUGE

If the weather continues to carry on in the same manner as it has during the last lew weeks, trade in goloshes, raincoats, and umbrellas should soon be booming, and the prospects for that in boats should be quite bright, and finally designers of arks will soon be finding scope for their abilities. Yesterday afternoon's torrential rain was a further indication that plumbers are badly needed for heaven's water taps.

'About 1.45 p.m. drizzling rain began to fall. Between 3 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. the rain was heavy—really heavy. It soaked the many who were caught without coats, umbrellas, or other protection: it flooded a number of streets, although to no. very great depths. It then eased oft a bit, .but showers, continued until about 10.30 p.m. At Jhat hour steady, but not ; particularly heavy,: rain set in again, continuing until 3 a.m. Since then no rain has fallen —that is, up to noon today. That no more is coming in the immediate future it would be very unsafe to hazard. The rainfall, yesterday afternoon and last night totalled 1.26-inches, the bulk of which fell during the afternoon. ■ ■ ■; .

; Wellington's rainfall for this- year, as recorded at Kelburn, is rather-re-markable. During January comparatively little more rain fell than what is normal for the month, 3.34 inches being recorded as against a normal figure for January of 2.89 inches. But February scattered all .records, producing 9.90 inches of rain compared with a normal fall of 2.75 inches. The rainfall in March : averaged over previous years is 3.20 inches, but already, with only nine days of the month gone, the rainfall totals 2.97 inches, 1.71 inches up to.yesterday plus yesterday's additional 1.26 inches. Hence the month's average is nearly reached already.

The average annual rainfall for Wellington is-42.30 inches. With little more than 'a sixth of this year gone, the rainfall already totals 16.21 inches, and the wettest months of the year are still to come. Continuing at the present rate, the 1936 rainfall would be somewhere in the neighbourhood, of .100, inches, or considerably more,than twice as much, as the average. It certainly does look as if the ark designers may yet be called upon io get busy. AGRICULTURAL OUTLOOK. Apart from the general unpleasantness associated with such a superabundance of rain and with the general cold and unseasonable weather, the plight of the farmer, if the present type of weather continues much longer, is going to be an unenviable one. As it is, many crops have been wholly or partially ruined, ■ and the saturated ground is going to hamper autumnal agricultural operations. The excessive dampness will probably be the cause of ah increase in fungoid and other pests, and altogether the agricultural outlook is not bright. Any further gales that happen to come along are likely, too, td add to the considerable, damage already done, for the ground being so: thoroughly saturated does not afford tree roots the grip necessary to enable them to remain perpendicular when assailed by particularly strong blasts.

{■ Meteorological and other experts ire entirely;at a loss to explain why tiie present season is such a wet one, arid they do not hazard any prophecies as to the. future. They can but record what is happening from day to day, and,1 like-other mortals who have no wish to develop webbed feet,'hope for the best: But that does not prevent any other individuals from holding and airing pet theories about sunspots and cosmic conjunctions in order to account for the rain. \ : ' ' '