DULL DECEMBER

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 6, 8 January 1942, Page 10

DULL DECEMBER

VERY UNSEASONABLE

December,was a cloudy month with very unseasonable conditions during the latter portion, says the Director of Meteorological Services, Dr. M. A. F. Barnett, in his report on the weather for December. Pastures and crops, specially on the east coast of the South Island, received substantial benefit from the rains, but the persistence of unsettled conditions made the period very difficult for shearing and haymaking. There are still many sheep unshorn and considerable quantities of hay have been ruined. Some good ensilage crops have been harvested. Stock are well, with ample feed of moderate: quality. Young turnips, rape, and chou moellier crops are showing good progress. For fruit and vegetables the season is still very late. As yet, very few white butterflies are in evidence. . -

Rain fell frequently throughout the month. Totals were very High about the Bay of Islands and in the Oha-kune-Taihape-Wanganui area, where some stations had a new- December record. Rainfall, however, was deficient in the Bay of Plenty and # the East Cape regions. Over the South Island, rainfall departures from, average were very variable, but there was a predominance of slight excesses. There were numerous thunderstorms, often with hail.

There were some warm days in the earlier part of the month, but later occasional very cold temperatures were experienced. On the average, however, temperatures over the North Island closely approached the normal, but in the south negative departures were rather larger, being 2deg or 3deg P. in Canterbury.

Low sunshine totals were recorded at nearly all stations. In several cases the values were poorer than the average by the equivalent of two hours a day. For the country as a whole the month was probably the dullest December for a considerable number of years.