The Hawera Star TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1924, METEOROLOGY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 23 December 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1924, METEOROLOGY.

Delivered every evening by g o’cloet in Hawera Manaia, iNormanby; Okaiawu, Eltharn, Mangatoki, - Kaponga, Awatuna,. Opuhake, Otakeho, Manutabi, ‘ Alton, Burleyville, ' Patea, ' Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Ohangai, . Meremere, ' Fraser Road. / and. . Ararata.

At this: season of the year it is natural that the great majority of the people take a special interest in the weather. Everyone looks forward to Christmas,, -with its y bright message and the rest from one’s work, and the festival is: always so much happier if the weather is fine. As with most, small 'insular New Zealand Is subject • to rapid changes in the weather, as shown last week, when warm days were suddenly superseded by a howling gale, which caused widespread damage and played havoc with hundreds of the beautiful gardens throughout ' the North Island. The exceptionally heavy , rain experienced over the southern part of the North Island interfered with railway and road traffic, and in the Wairarapa severe floods did' much damage, though the loss of stock was less than would: have' been the case had farmers not been warned by the Meteorological Department. of the approach, of the storm. The science of meteorology is one of great interest and, though the weather forecasts take up but a few lines,-of the papers, their preparation entails the gathering of a large' amount of data each day and a careful study of the facts e->llooted. By telegraph, cable, telephone, and wireless messages the meteorologist and bis assistants receive reports each day of the barometric reading, -temperature, direction of the wind, condition of the sky. and state of the sea (if the station is on the coast) from each of the places chosen. These are marked on "■ map, and by linking them up the meteorologist has his isobars (lines of equal barometric pressure) and isotherms (lines of equal temperature). When one looks at this map one finds that both high and low pressure systems revolve . round centres, and. that the winds blow in circles. Thee© systems travel from west to east, as a general rule, but their rate of progress varies considerably; moreover,' a system undergoes modification at times, due to the influence of other systems. The meteorologist has therefore a difficult

task in making accurate forecasts and requires the fullest information possible. The positions (latitude and longitude) of approaching systems and the area each covers have to be taken into account, for a low pressure covering a small area may bring much more severe weather than a low pressure covering an extensive area. From the statement of-the assistantdirector, published In this issue, last week’s storm area was comparatively small with a high pressure system confining its activities to the North Island, and; also causing the heaviest rainfall in the districts covered by the southern portion of r the low pressure. The storm lias passed eastward, and it depends upon the positions of the systems over the Tasman Spa and Australia what the weather will lie during the Christmas holidays. But the value of the Meteorological Department's work does not only lie in forecasting the weather •as a guide to holiday-makers: Thousands of sheep and cattle have been saved (especially in Central Otago and Canterbury) in the past through fanners receiving fijom the meteorologist of approaching storms, and the country has benefited to ' no small extent financially. The sayings which may be effected by warnings given in time of one , severe storm probably more than pay the cost of running the department for a year, and if the meteorologist, has suggestions to make in the way of. securing more up-to-date instruments or of being provided with better information than he receives at present, his requests deserve sympathetic consideration, for - the Meteorological Department’ does, work day hv day of much greater value to the, Dominion than many people perhaps realise. . The science. of : meteorology lias become . much better recognised since the war, and a® aerial services develop -and expand it; will play a still more important part.