DRY AND COOL

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 110, 5 November 1937, Page 11

DRY AND COOL

OCTOBER'S WEATHER

COUNTRY NEEDS RAIN

"General steady, soaking, and mild rains are needed soon, or the effects of the dry weather are likely to become serious," remarks Dr. E. Kidson, director of Meteorological Services, in his summary of October's weather. "In the Dominion as a whole," he says, "October was a very dry month with a good deal of wind, which came mainly from a southerly quarter. The atmosphere was generally dry and cool, and frosts were unusually numerous, especially in the South Island. Though there is, in most districts, as yet no acute shortage of feed, the growth of pastures and vegetation generally has been poor. The rains from the 23rd onward relieved conditions'considerably in the North Island, but the subsequent fine weather with1 drying winds has, to a considerable extent, nullified their effect. Grass is tending to flower early and while still short. Stock are, on the whole, in very good condition, especially lambs. Conditions are very favourable, also, for shearing. In portions of Marlborough, however, there is serious shortage of feed and both stock arid crops are doing poorly." Except for some good rains on the west coast of the South Island in the early part, the first three weeks of the month were extremely dry, many areas in the North Island having no rain at all. Between the 23rd. and the 26th there were general rains, with heavy falls over most of the North Island. Dui'ing this period the Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay districts received more than, the average total for the month. In the South Island, however, the rains were still mainly only light or moderate. Dry conditions again set in during the last few days. Except between Hawke's Bay and East Cape, the totals for the North Island averaged less than half the normal. In the South Island few places recorded half the average for October, and large parts of Canterbury and Marlborough had deficits of over 80 per cent. COOL BUT SUNNY. Though there were no severe cold snaps, the average temperatures were almost everywhere considerably be^ low normal. The days were usually mild but the nights cold. At the beginning of the month there / was a good deal of snow on the ranges, and though much of it gradually disappeared it was replenished, to some extent, towards the end of the month. Consequently, with a clear dry.at-; mosphere prevailing, there ' was a tendency for frosts whenever the wind dropped. The.frosts, though unusually frequent, were not of great depth or severity, and though tomatoes, potatoes, and other garden crops were damaged, fruit trees suffered comparatively little. . The month was remarkable for the amount of sunshine recorded, few places having less than 200 hours. Lake Tekapo reports 281.4, Nelson 266.9, and Blenheim 261.5 hours. STORMS AND PRESSURE SYSTEMS. During the first nine days conditions were fairly typical of spring.. Two westerly depressions crossed the South Island, causing'some rather boisterous north-westerly winds as they approached and south-westerlies as they passed away. . There were some heavy -rains on the west coast of the South Island but little elsewhere. From this period onward high pressure was the rule, aid the anti-cyclones were centred unusually far south. Southerly or south-easterly winds predominated, and the situation was of a type which, though not very uncommon in summer, was the reverse of what is expected in spring. ' Between the 13th and 18th a moderate cyclonic depression passed across the North Tasman Sea and by Norfolk and the Kermadec Islands. On the 16th it caused easterly gales in the far north and some rain fell in the northern and eastern districts of the North Island. The centre was too far north to affect New Zealand greatly. I + did cause, however, an increased flow of air from the south and south-east, and it was during this period that the worst of the frosts were experienced. From the 23rd to the 27th a shallow cyclone developed in the northern part of a depression approaching from the Tasman Sea and moved slowly across the North Island. This was responsible for the general rains already referred to and snow on the ranges, especially in the South Island. South-easterly gales were experienced in 'the Cook Strait area. On the 24th there were some severe thunderstorms in the Auckland Province. From the 28th onwards the weather was again dominated by an anticyclone. On the 31st south-westerly winds on the southern side 'of it began "to cause rain on the west coast of the South Island.