A FINE CHRISTMAS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 150, 22 December 1938, Page 10

A FINE CHRISTMAS

PROSPECTS GOOD

FORECASTERS OPTIMISTIC

The question uppermost in most people's minds at the present time is— what of the weather? Is it going to settle down and be fine for Christmas? In view of the most unseasonable and remarkable weather experienced during the whole of this month so far as it has gone, many people are feeling dubious about the answer. But the Meteorological Office is taking an optimistic view and, while not definitely promising, holds out prospects for much-improved weather for Christmas.

For some days past an anticyclone has remained almost stationary over south-eastern, Australia, but this is at last showing signs of moving eastward in this direction and it should be the harbinger of better weather of a more settled and seasonable type. Pressure is still low over the Dominion, but it is now showing a rising tendency. Viewing all the meteorological factors, the official forecasters say that there are prospects for generally fair weather during the next few days, and that settled conditions will quite probably .extend over Christmas. That is the most cheerful weather forecast issued for some weeks: that the Clerk of the Weather will not let the Meteorological Office down -tin this occasion (and he has been known to do it before) will be the devout hope of everyone,, except perhaps sellers of iumbrellas and raincoats, but their trade of late must have been quite good. Everything, however, in the meteorological garden is not lovely. The most severe cyclone of this season has developed in the Fijian Islands, and Suva yesterday had a rainfall of 9.35 in (while Wellington complains of six inches or so in a month). But this disturbance, so meteorologists think, is very unlikely to affect adversely the weather in New Zealand, so a fine Christmas may be looked forward to with considerable confidence.