RANGE OF RAINFALL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 158, 5 June 1937, Page 7

RANGE OF RAINFALL.

EXPERIENCE IN DOMINION. INTERESTING COMPARISONS. That the range of rainfall in New Zealand is extremely wide is shown bv the reports from the 519 Government weather stations which are collected in the Gazette. These arc for last year, and it should be borne in mind that 1936 was a year when the rainfall was in many places above the average, but they clearly indicate that some parts of New Zealand are very dry, while others arc excessively wet. The range of rainfall for the year extends from 266.27 inches at Milford Sound (over 22 feet of rain in the year, that is) to 12.59 inches at Alexandra in Central Otago (just ono foot of rain). Although Milford Sound easily tops the list, its rain fell on 195 days only, whereas at Invercargill the number of days with rain was 247. But Invercargill's total fall was only 48.69 inches, indicating a little rain often rather than heavy downpours like Milford’s. Other wet jilaces besides Milford Sound were Middle Hollyford-Honier Tunnel, 229.92 in on 224 days; the Hermitage, Mount Cook, 219.61 m on 184 days; Wataroa, Westland, 212.82 in on 165 days; Otira, Westland, 203 in on 194 days. Altogether 16 stations in the North Island and 18 In the South Island had lOOin of rain or over, and 10 and 16 respectively had rain on 200 days or more. _ < . The places with the highest rainfall are found in the South Island, the North island having no rain-catcliing mountains equal to the Southern Alps. In the North Island the maximum fall was 171.77 inches at the upper dam at the Mangahao electric power station. Orongorongo comes next with 147.44 inches, which indicates how wisely the sites of hydro-electric stations have been selected- for rainfall. The palm for dryness goes to Central Otago, where four stations record the year’s fall as- being under 15 inches. The dryest spot in the North Island was the Portland Island lighthouse, where 29.86 inches of rain were recorded. The falls for the year in the four centres were: Auckland, 52.54 in on 184 clays; Wellington, 56.8 in on 173 days; Christchurch, 36.14 in on 146 days; Dunedin, 48.06 in on 163 days. Wellington’s wettest day was February 1, when 2.67 in were recorded. That date was i remarkably wet one for most of the North Island, when there fell the rear’s record rainfalls—l3.7Bin at Puliinihi plantation (North Auckland), 12.1 nclies at Waihi, 11.84 in at Russell xnd 11.41 in at Wliangarei. In the south Island. Wataroa (Westland) had x fall of 12.2 in on March 20, and \karoa and the Hermitage suffered ocal cloudbursts of 11.73 in and 11. Sin xn February 20 and April 21, respec-. lively.