WET AND STORMY MONTH

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 8 January 1930, Page 10

WET AND STORMY MONTH

M ETEOROLOGIST’S REPORT. iiICN i'M'MT TO PASTURES. Illy telegraph —i'ress Association., WELLINGTON, Jan. 7. Notes on the weather for the month of December 1929. are supplied by the Director of the Meteorological Department as follows: — ‘•December was a web, stormy month. Although eastern districts experienced 1 some hot and sultry days, there was less than the average amount of sunshine and. temperatures were considerably below normal. The only considerable areas where the rainfall’ was below the December average were in the northern half of the Auckland Peninsula and in the eastern portions of the North Island, fiom Hawkes’s Bay to the East Cape. Over all the western districts and in the high country of the interior the precipitation was heavily in excess of normal. Most of. the stormy weather was associated with the passage of cyclone centres across the South Island. Gales from between north and west were experienced to the north of the centres, while to the south of them easterly or south easterly winds prevailed. It was these latter, w.iuli accounted to a large extent for the high rainfalll in Canterbury and Otago. THUNDERSTORMS FREQUENT. L ‘‘Thunderstorms have been rather frequent and in many oases severe. A large proportion were accompanied by showers of hail. A considerable i amount of fog wa.s reported ft cm ivc tlx the northern and southern extremities of the Dominion. “Although it was rather late lor some crops', especially oats, the rams were of very great benefit to tanners in Canterbury and Otago. The ] iospects, especially for wheat and not crops, have improved very much, and feed is plentiful. The abnormali number of wot days and heavy rain proved adverse to haymaking over a large part of the country, and shearing has been retarded. The weather-has oe<n too humid also for fodder to be in its most flourishing condition, but on fne whole stock and crops are m a satusfactorv state, and the season is a good one. A spelf of fine land dry weatner would 1 now be an advantage. t4 As Indicated nbovo, tixe unusual I frequency of the cyclones and depres--1 sions which has characterised the past two years, was fully maintained in December. Their movement was very rapid and this was on the whole lottun ate. since, although there* were numbers of cases of rivers reaching the flood stage they usually receded just when series floods appeared to be imminent. Actual damage was slight. “The first of the cyclones referred to crossed* the south-west extremity of the Dominion -*on. Vho evening of December 4 to December 5 and caused boisterous weather. Rain was widespread. with many heiavy falls,, especially from Taranaki and Wellington southwards. On December R there were many thunderstorms and at Edendale, in Southland!, damage was done by severe hail. From December 6 to 9' weather of the westerly type prevailed. Squally winds* blew from some westerly quarter, frequently reaching gate force, and western districts especiallv experienced showery weather. On December 6 a tornado moving from the sea visited Greymouth*. Houses were unroofed and much, other damage done. In Cowper Street and Blaketo*wn a whirling column of vapour and debris was very clearly seen. FIRST FINE WEATHER. “The finest spell ol weather during' the month followed the westerly weather and persisted till December 15. During this period a severe tropical cyclone developed in the .Fiji group and moved slowly away. “On the night of Decemoer II and tlie morning of December .1.2 a heavy fog in Cook Strait caused delays to shipping. On December 17 a second cyclone crossed southern Otago, and again northerly gales and almost general rain accompanied its passage. Thunderstorms were marked features or this cyclone during the whole time that it was moving over the Tasman Sea and New Zealand. The accompanying “atmospherics” were particularly frequent and violent, and wireless communications with shipping was at times greatly interfered with. •‘On December 16 a cloudburst at Norris Mill, six miles from Westport, raised a flood in the W’aimea creek, and several bridges were damaged. Another cloudburst was reported from Pukemiro, m the Thames Valley, on December IS. A third cyclone traversed the Dominion on December 22, the centre this time crossing South Canterbury- The precipitation was again general, and southerly winds in the van of tiie depression brought particularly heavy rain to eastern districts of the South Island. Had the cyclone not moved away so quickly severe Hooding would have been inevitable. As it was, the Leith stream again threatened to inundate Dunedin, and parts ot Christchurch were under water. At Kaikoura a phenomenal fall of three inches in Go minutes was registered. Thunder ami hailstorms were very violent and widespread in connection with this storm, especially on Dei cm her 22. Wireless operators again experienced trouble from “atmospherics.” HIGH VELOCITY WIND. ••The last of the month's cyclones moved over southern Otago on December 29. Boisterous weather and almostgeneral rain accompanied its passage. At Wellington over 70 miles per hour was registered in a northerly gale on December 29. “Each of the cyclones and storms described was responsible lor falls of snow on the ranges in the South * Island and a number of frosts no- | curred.” I