WEATHER' CYCLES.

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 April 1911, Page 2

WEATHER' CYCLES.

j The Commonwealth Meteorologist, Mi H. A .Hunt, has come to the conclusion that the theory of weather "cycles is usea basis for forecasting weather on . the eastern const of -Australia. He has j compiled details of the rainfall in Sydney ' and the surrounding country during flacfi month of the past seventy years, and on ' these his opinion is founded. By means of ; a graph which he has. constructed, all the j monthly totals greater or less than the 1 average rainfall are clearly shown, and Mr Hunt says that a cursory ■ glance at the diagram will convince the most ardent believer in the statistical basis for forecasting the seasons that the method cannot be applied to the coastal districts of New South Wales. "During the whole period covered by the graph," he said to an interviewer, "there is barely a single instance where one month's rainfall, much less that of a season, coincides with the : average. In fact, it would almost appear as if the line which represents the average : were designed in many cases to avoid the I actual totals registered. Those who are i wedded to a belief in weather cycles or : recurrence of seasons may also be coni vinced that if such exist the period over | which our climate history extends is unI doubtedly too short to establish a cycle 'of any practical use." The theory that i the rain of any season is an indication of j what the following season will be has been i dispelled by the fact that there are as j many instances of dry following wefc sea- | sons as there are of drv or wet seasons j following either kind. . Some excessively ! dry seasons have been preceded and folI lowed immediately by extraordinarily wet I <-.»o'.' tv> driest v«-v o'-er kiwnm in New South Wales was 1888, but 1887 and 1889 were two of the best years the State has enjoyed. The most protracted drought in the neighborhood of Sydney lasted from November, 1848, till June, 1850, the rainfall during the twenty months being nearly 45in below the average. The most recent disastrous drought occurred during th» ten months ended June, 1902, the rainfall being 26in below normal. Some of the prolonged wet periods have been equally wide of the average. The weather prophet in Australia anoears to be confronted by many difficulties.