WEATHER IN AUGUST

Grey River Argus, 20 September 1949, Page 7

WEATHER IN AUGUST

WELLINGTON, September 13

General: Although there was no spell of really settled weather during August, conditions on the whole were quite favourable. Some new-born lambs were lost during a severe storm which affected northern and eastern districts of the North Island at the beginning of the second week; stock' otherwise has wintered well. Growth has not been nearly 'as good as in July, which was of course an exceptional month.

Rainfall: A storm from the north was mainly instrumental in bringing the rainfall totals well above normal in eastern districts from the Kaikouras to East Cape, and about the Coromandel Peninsula There was a slight, excess in Southland, Wellington, and in the western part of Otago and Canterbury. F -om the Waikato to the Bay of Plenty, and in Marlborough and Nelson, rainfall was not quite half the normal.

Temperatures: Mean temperatures were close, to the average for Aug. In general, anomalies were less than 1 degree F. and were positive except in the south.

Sunshine: The duration of sunshine was above normal in the South Island, and the southern part of the Wellington province. The excess was greatest in central Canterbury and coastal Otago. Ashburton and Dunedin both set new records for August sunshine. In the Auckland Province many places had totals which were equivalent to an hour a day below the average. Weather Sequence: fl’he last of a series of active depressions was crossing the Dominion at the beginning of the month. With rising pressures, the weather improved temporarily in the south on the 2nd, and in the east and north on the 3rd; but disturbances passing in the far south prevented any general clearance.

The cold front associated with one of the southern disturbances carried a belt of heavy rain northeastwards over the South Island on the sth. Barometers rose sharply and by next morning a ridge of high pressure extended from east of Canterbury across the Tasman Sea to New South Wales. On the 6th the cold front became of minor significance with the approach of a big storm from the north.

Rain gradually extended southwards as far as Banks Peninsula as the storm centre moved slowly past Northland where it produced some floods on the 7th. Continuing on a southward course it passed over East Cape on the night of the Sth, when extensive flooding developed in eastern districts of the North Island and in the Manawatu, and southeasterly gales also caused some damage. As the storm moved off to the east a ridge of high pressure spread over the country. Fine weather extended from the west and south, although rain persisted on the east coast of the North Island until the 11th. By that time the ridge had almost collapsed and, with the developement of a secondary depression to the east, and the passage of other depressions in the south, the weather became very changeable, light rain falling at times in all districts. While the centre of an anticyclone was passing North Cape on the 16th a! cold front arrived over the South Island from the southwest. Next day in the vicinity of Cook Strait a small depression formed, then moved rapidly eastwards across the Wellington province With the approach of the next anticyclone the weather cleared in all but Westland. However it took a course well to the northward, and by the 20th a deep depression in the southwest took charge. The cold front of this depression travelled rapidly over the country on the 21st, accompanied by a band of heavy rain and some thunderstorms. Changeable westerly weather prevailed foi‘ several days while a series of secondary fronts moved across from the southwest. In western districts rain was frequent and plentiful; north of Otago, little rain penetrated as far as the east coast.

On the 26th it became cooler as winds turned more to the southwest. For the following two days the weather was fine in most districts during the passage of an anticyclone eastwards across the North Island. Early on the 29th an active cold front began to advance up the South Island while rain developed ia the far north with the approach of a low pressure centre from the morthwest. The latter kept well to 1 the north, and cool, clear weather developed behind the cold front which moved off to the northeast ort the evening of the 30th, i Issued by—--1 Director of Meteorological Services / Wellington, N.Z. I September Bth ,