RIVERLEA

Hawera Star, Volume L, 5 February 1931, Page 7

RIVERLEA

_\l ETEOiI OLOGICAL

(From Um; Own Correspondent.)

January, 1930, was the uettost J aiiunrv recorded here, but/ »J ann<il \ , 1931, went one better and passed the winning past 41 points ahead of the previous chanyrion. though there weie live less rain days during the month. The weather throughout the month has been most unseasonable e'er since the short heat wave between Christmas and New Year broke on the second of the month with a few light showers in the night. New tears Dav was hot and line, 1 olio wed by a sultrv night with a temperature at JO p.m.'still at 03 degrees Fahrenheit. Dawn saw the thermometer down to 62 degrees, but at 9 a.m. it- had reached 85 degrees and at noon jt rose to 90 degrees. It was still at bo degrees at. 5.30 p.m. and at 10 p.m. it stood at 69 degrees, never falling I below 65 for the night. From tlience forward, or rather after the third no more reallv hot weather occurred, the thermometer only twice more during the month reaching SO degrees. Besides the abnormal rainfall the weather was unpleasantly windy all the month, with a. most decided westerly bias, blowing from the west on no less than 15 days and from north-west and south-west on seven days each, viz.—from some westerly point on 29 days of the month ; on the other two the direction was south-east. \\ind was cenerallv of breeze to strong force.” and oil tli I3tli, 14th and 16th approached gale force. there weie no windless and no cloudless days during the month. There were only, seven lino da vs recorded: 10 were fair ; six cloudv and eight completely overcast. The thermometer at 9 a.m. ranged from 51 degrees on the 30th to 85 decrees on the 2nd. with a 9 a.m. mean, temperature of 67.4 degrees, against 64 5 degrees in January. 1930, and 70 degrees in January, 1929. The actual minimum temperature recorded was 44 degrees on the 17th and the mean minimum temperature was 55 30 decrees. The maximum temperature recorded was 90 degrees on the 2nd and the mean maximum temperature was 72.66 degrees. The actual mean temperature lor the month was 63.98 degrees, against 65.5 degrees in Januarv. 1930. and 65 degrees m Januarv 1929. The barometer showed .small range, with a minimum readin o- of 28.99 arid a maximum of 29.57, rrivinu a range of only 0.58 of an inch and a mean reading of 29.28. lhc> rainfall for the month reached the hi'"h total of 9.01 inches and made the month the wettest January on tecord. Haiti fell on 18 days, with a maximum precipitation of 2.38 inches on the 7th and a further heavy tall of 1.03 inches on the 20tli. lho minimum fall was a trace of ram only on the 10th and 30th of the month. The previous wettest January was that of last year, when 8.60 inches fell on • ; 3 da vs. with a maximum precipitation of * 2.37 inches (only one point less than the maximum for this Januarv') on tlic lOt-li. Prior to Jann- j arv. 1930. the wettest January was in 19 9 6, when the rainfall totalled 6.51 inches (much below the fall of the last two Jauuarys) on 13 days, with a maximum of 2.01 inches on the __nd. The rainfall for 1929 was 2.16 inches on 11 days, with a maximum of O.M of an inch on the 23rd. The driest Januarv was that of 1928, when only 0.07 of an inch fell on four _ days, with a maximum of 0.05 of an inch on the 2nd. The average for the month is 3.679 inches, or not much more I than a third of this January’s total.

GENERAL, As a. result of the heavy rainfall during tlie past month there is a goou "rowth of grass and the milk supply fs holding up fairly well. Root unci well The very broken weather has Chou Moellier crops are also doing made haymaking a bug bear again this season, but in spite ol all the wet weather the hay generally lias, gone into the stack in good condition. Crops have varied greatly, some being lighter and so mo heavier than usual, hut mostly about the average. PERSONAL. Mr and Mrs Sodey, of Fitzroy, spent a, considerable time with Mr and Mrs Gargan during the holidays. Mr McLeod, of the factory, had a brother and nephew from Christchurch who were touring the North Island by' motor cycle, staying with him for a time, and Mr Page, of Christchurch, an uncle of Mr J. A. Synies, has been staying with liis nephew' for a time. Mr and Airs Harre returned from their holidays last week in preparation for the re-opening of the school.