RIVERLEA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 5 November 1929, Page 6

RIVERLEA.

' (From Our Own Correspondent).) RECORD DRY OCTOBER. October this year has established a. record in dryness for that month, being far below, in rainfall, to any previous October. The. month generally was warm, with a fairly steady barometer, but one or two cold south-easterly snaps rather set things back and these brought with -them three frosts, though two were only light and the other a mere trace. These frosts came on the

let'll.. 17th and 26th. the latter being the lightest. On the 24th the S.E. gale was stronger than usual, but evidently we escaped the greatest strength of it. Wind direction was preponderating 1 ! v west and south-east, blowing from tlie former quarter on no l 'less than fifteen days during the month, and from tlie south-east on two days. | | Nortli-west wind was recorded on three days and from north, south and northeast on .one day each. Winds were generally light to breeze, excepting for the south-easter previously mentioned. There were no caiim days, but lour during the month were cloudless. In all there were 13 fine days, four were fair, seven fair to dloudv, three cloudy and four completely overcast. The thermometer at 6 ja.ni. (standard time) ranged from a minimum temperature of only 46 degrees Fahrenheit on the 24tli to a maximum of 71 degrees on the 22nd. giving a mean 9 a.m. temperature of 58.50 degrees against 61 degrees in October last year and only ,52.5 degrees in October, 1927. The actual minimum temperature recorded was 37 degrees at dawn on tlie 15th, and the actual maximum was 73 degrees on the Bth and 29th, giving a mean actual temperature of 55 degrees against 0n'1v"53.5 degrees for the corresponding period last year and! only 50 degrees in 1927. The barometer ranged from 29.14 on the 31st to 29.78 on the 14th, giving a range of 0.6-i of an inch and a mean •of 29.46. Rain to a total of only 1.891 inches fell on only nine days duringJ the month with a maximum precipita-» tion of 0.80 of an inch on the 23rd and a. minimum of 0.01 of an inch on the Ist. Last year 7.54 inches fell in October on 19 days, with a maximum precipitation of 1.85 inches on the 30tli'. In October, 1927, the rainfall, was 4.86 inches on twelve days, with a maximum of 1.35 on the 22nd, and! in 11926 it was 9.75 inches on 25 days, with a maximum of 2.88 inches on the 28th. The wettest October on record was that of .1926, mentioned above, and the driest prior to the month just past was in 1914, when 3.43 inches fell on 12 days, with ai maximum of 0.65 of an inch on the 30th. The average rainfall for October is 5.967 inches, so that the month just past was very m uoh below the average. The rainfall for the year to the end of October was 57.49 inches, which fell on 162- davs. Last year 59.12 inches fell for tijo corresponding period of the year on 194 days; in 1927 58.40 inches fell on 188 days, and in 1926 it was 64.86 inches on 175 days.

The dry weather experienced, though it may have militated somewhat against the growth of grass, has enabled farmers to push on with their clearing and ploughing work, and this is probably further 'advanced than usual.