COLD AND STORMY

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 83, 7 April 1936, Page 9

COLD AND STORMY

LEATHER FOE MAIICH

DOMINION SUMMARY

In his Dominion summary of the weather for March, Dr. E. Kidson, Director of Meteorological Services, remarks that the month was a cold one with several very stormy periods. Over much of the North Island there was a dearth of sunshine, and while the South Island had an ample amount, its effects were largely offset by the cold winds. Though not nearly so much so as February, the month was a wet one in most districts, and there' arc few in which the soil is really dryVegetation is very green, but growth has not been vigorous and fruiting and flowering processes have been checked Feed is abundant and stock are reported to be in good condition. Pastures are, however, rank and soft, and lambs still fail to fatten well. The management-.of pastures in the winter promises to,be difficult, and the effect of parasites is feared. The milk yield appears on the whole to be well maintained, though in Taranaki cold winds had a deleterious effect. Little progress has been made with:the harvesting of the wheat1 crop, much of which is now in the stack. In Canterbury there was considerable sprouting of both standing and stooked wheat. " The situation regarding root crops varies considerably from district to district, growth being poor and pests numerous in some, while in others the reports are favourable. Supplies of feed for the winter, however, seem fairly well assured. A certain, amount of haymaking still continued in: the North Island. White butterflies are numerous in many places. ~-. . RAINFALL ABOVE NORMAL. Rainfall was again very heavy in the northern portion of the Auckland Peninsula. It was much above normal also in the Bay of Plenty, East Coast, south central regions, and the South Taranaki Bight.; Elsewhere in. the North Island it was.below normal. In the South Island,, conditions' were variable in western districts and about the main ranges generally, but; elsewhere the month was a very .wet one. Large areas' of Canterbury had. three times the .average, fall. '. • . Temperatures were everywhere below normal. In the far north the departures were small, but they increased to the southward and were greater on the east coast than on the west. In Marlborough and the interior of Canterbury and, Otago, many places had 'mean1 temperatures upwards ol 4 degrees below the average for March. For the country as a whole it was one of the coldest; Marches: hitherto experienced. ' Frosts were not particularly numerous or severe. -. ' ' ■._ There was much less sunshine than usual in' most of the North Island, though the Bay of Plenty and Wellington fared well enough. In the Soutlr Island all reports indicate more' than the normal amount, and in most cases;'jtKe•"■excess"was considerable. It was'too late in the year, however, for the sun to be sufficiently powerful to make up for the'previous deficit, especially with the cold winds which ruled! : ' ' . SEVERAL STORMS. Op'the night of the 2nd to the 3rd a depression which had been shallow when.it' crossed the country deepened very much'while to the eastward. In consequence, southerly gales blew and heavy rain fell over the South Island and across Cook Strait to the southern portion of the North Island. Snow fell on the ranges, and a tornado was reported near Tauranga on the 3rd. ■ Following- this, an intense *.. anticyclone'moved oh to the Dominion ;ahd fine-weather- ruled for several days. On-the night, of the 6th to 7th, however, a depression moved from ■ the north to the• vicinity of East Cape, and though, shallow, it caused very heavy rain between Hawke's Bay and East Cape and, in places, severe flooding.' Following the passage of an innocuous depression on the 7th, pressure again fell rapidly to the east of New Zealand on the Bth and continued low until the 11th. Gales from between west and south were experienced .at. many places, and heavy rain was almost general. The falls were particularly heavy in eastern districts of the South Island, and widespread floods occurred.. Canterbury, and. Banks Peninsula fared the worst. There were heavy snowfalls on the high levels.. Heavy rain again fell over the South Island in connection with a depres. sion which moved on to the Dominion during the 20th and 21st. Though vigorous at first this depression lost energy when a cyclone moved down from the north, and, keeping to the eastward, "passed near Chatham Islands. DAMAGE AT AUCKLAND. On the 25th, a deep cyclone, which had first appeared off the Queensland coast on the 18th, passed Norfolk Island on the westward side and on the 26th was centred near Cape Maria van Diemen. Moving in a southeasterly direction it was centred off East Cape oh the morning of the 27th, and soon moved away. It was responsible for very severe gales and remarkably high tides from Auckland northwards, and much damage was done. Heavy rain was recorded over most of the North Island but the amounts, nevertheless, were surprisingly small for so deep and slow-moving a cyclone. From the 28th until the end of the month a' westerly depression followed by a series of secondaries caused a second series of westerly or southwesterly gales, which were severe in many places. On the 29th a tornado, of unusual size for New Zealand, did considerable damage at Greymouth. There were heavy rains in western districts of the South Island.