RIVERLEA RAINFALL

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 7 January 1930, Page 8

RIVERLEA RAINFALL

DECEMBER, FIGURES

AVERAGEI DOUBLED

(From Our Own Correspondent.) December was a wet month, in fact the wettest December in the Riverlea district records, saving only that of 1913, having a precipitation of almost double the average for the month. Excepting for a period of seven days between the 9th and 17tli .when no rain fell, and only 0.01 of moisture due to a foggy night was recorded, there were I no dry spells during the month at all. From’ the 3rd to the 10th it rained daily and again so from the 16th to the 25th. There were no calm days during' the month and only one, the 20tli, was cloudless in the morning, though rain fell again in the night. In all there were only six fine days during the month. Ten were fair; i seven fair to l cloudy and eight were , overcast. Winds were chiefly light to I breeze, but were strong and approaching galo force on the 7th, Btli, 22nd, I 23rd, 27th, and 29th. Wind direction I was of a preponderating westerly variety blowing from the north west on | eight days; from the west on ten days; • from south-west on six days; from * south-east on six days, and from north on one. The thermometer at 9 a.m. ranged from a minimum of 52 degrees Fahrenheit on the 19th to a maximum of 75 degrees on the 6tli, 11th, 16tli, and 27th, giving a mean temperature of (53.5 degrees at 9 a.m. in December, 1928. The actual minimum temperature recorded l was 44 degrees on the 20th and the actual maximum temperature was 81 degrees on file 16tli and 27th, giving an actual mean temperature of 62.5 degrees against 62 degrees last year. The barometer, us may have been expected considering the state of the weather during the month, was low and gave the very low mean reading of only 29.05. The lowest barometrical reading recorded was 28.73 on the 22nd and the highest only 29.47 on the 10th. Rain to a total of no less than 7.22 inches fell on 21 days during the month with a maximum precipitation of 1.19 inches on the 18th and a minimum of 0.01 on the 2nd, 14th and 28th. As previously stated this was the wettest December recorded save that of 1913 when 9.85 inches fell, but only on sixteen days. There were, however, in that month three days with very heavy rain, viz., the 10th with 2.31 inches; the 12th with 1.95 inches, and the 16th with 1.26 inches.

The driest December was in 1916, when only 0.51: of an inch of rain was recorded on only five days, viz., 0.20 on the 7th; 0.24 on the 15th; 0.02 on the 16th: 0.05 on the 22nd, and 0.03 on the 27th. In December 1928 tho rainfall was 5.16 inches on 19 days, with a maximum of 1.30 on tbo 28th. In 1927 it was 471 inches on 13 days with maximum of no less than 3.09 inches on the 6th and in 1926 it was 4.05 inches on 16 days with maximum of 1.48 inches on the 12th.

The average for December is 4.419 inches.

The rainfall for the quarter ended December 31 was considerably below the average, due principally to the extremely dry October. If totalled only 14.65 inches on 50 days against an - average of 17.046 inches. Last year 1 the same quarter produced l 17.6 Q inches on 52 days; .in 1927 it was 18.67 inches on 4 5 days and in 1.926 it was 24.01 inches on 61 days The rainfall for the half year ended I December 31 was 46.11 inches on 108 ' days, which is considerably above tho average of 34.863 inches for the period. For the same period last year 41.78 inches felL on 110 days, and in 1927 it was 39.12 inches on 117 days. ANNUAL TOTALS. The total rainfall for 1929 was 70.79 inches, which fell on 203 days against 69.18 on 227 days in 1928; of 2.21 inches on 211 days in 1927, and 79.12 inches on 21.1. days in 1926, which was the wettest year on record. The driest year ever recorded here was 1914, when only 50.62 inches fell on only 156 days which is about 30 per cent below the | average of 65.094 inches per annum. The wettest month of 1929 was June with no less than 12.36 inches of rain on 23 days. The driest month of the year was February, when only 0.96 < f an inch fell on eight days. The wettest day of the year was April 13, when 5.37 inches wore recorded for the 24 hours. There was 14 days during the year with 1 an inch or more of rain, viz., April 13 with 5.27 inches; April 14 with 1.29 inches; April 27 with 1.20 inches; April 28 with 1.87 inches ; May 14 with 1.00 (an inch); June 7 with 1.27 inches; June 11 with 1.21 inches; August 20 with 1.48 inches; September 2 with 1.21 inches; and December IS with 1.19 i inches. , The hottest day during 1929 was [ January 18. when the barometer rose to 87 degrees Fahrenheit and the coldest night was on September 12. when the thermometer fell to 29 degrees Fahrenheit. This gives a range for the 1 thermometer of 58 degrees between the ; extremes and a mean temperature also . of 58 degrees Fahrenheit, but the - actual average mean temperature for/" the year works out at 55.58 degrees. Following is a monthly comparison for the past three years and also the ( wettest and driest years recorded here. O 1929.—January, 2.16 in on 11 clays;/] February, 0.96 in on 8 days; March, f 3.34 in oil 15 days; April, fl.4siri on 12 days; May, 3.87 in on 1(5 days; June 1 12.36 in oil 23 days; July ]<).44m on M | 22 days; August, 5.78 in on 17 clays; !t [September. 5.24 in on 19 days; October, |s 1.89 in on 9 days; November, 5.58 in on A 20 days; December, 7.22 in on 21 days:! total. 70.79 mon 203 davs. ‘ {

1928.—January, 0.07 in on 4 days, February, 3.53 m on 9 days; March,? 2.67 in on 7 days; .April, 4.93 in on IS days; May, IO.GOin on 24 days; Juno. 5. GO in on. 20 days; July, 5.82 in on J. 7 days; August, 8.17 in on 18 da vs; September. 10.lOin on 23 days; October. 7.54 in on 19 days; November 4.90 in on 14 days; December, o.lGin on 19 days; total, GO.lSin 0n227 days. 1927. —January, 2.84 in on 12 days; February, 3.69 in on 1.4 days; March', 5.25 m on 19 days; .April, 4.95 in on 21 days; AI av, 9.28 in on 18 days; June. 7.08 in on 20 days; July. 8.78 in on -?8 days; August, 8.34 in on 2G days - September. 3.33 in on 18 days; October, J.BGm on 12 days; November, 9.10 m on 90 days; December, 4.7 Lin on 1. 3dav«;! tolal, 72.21 in on 227 days. ’ I

HEAVIEST YEA ILLY FALL. 192 G.—January, G.Slin on 13 days: February, -1.52 in on 15 days; March", 3.91 in oil 14 days; April, 2.38 in on I I dsiys; May, 12.40 in on 20 days; June, 3.71 in, on I.G days; July G.GOin on 19 days; August, 9.71 in on 24 days; Scpteniber, 4.95 in on 15 days; October, 9.75 in. on 25 days; November, 10.21 in on 20 days; December, 4.05 in on 16 1 days; total, 79.12 in on 211 days. j DRIEST YEAR. 1 1914.—January, 2.71 in on 7 days; February, 2.10 in on 8 days; March. l.GGin on 11 days; April, 7.03 in on 21 days; May, 8.43 in on 18 days; June, 4.33 in on 19 days; July, 4.29 in on 19 days; August, 1.91 in on 11 days; Sep-j tembor, 2.39 in on 8 days; October. 3.43in on 12 days; November,*s.44in on 13 days; December, 6.90 in on 9 days; total, 50.62 in <m 15G days.