July a Fine Month

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 187, 9 August 1940, Page 9

July a Fine Month

ABSENCE OF STRONG WINDS General notes. —July was a splendid winter month for most of tho country. One of tho chief features was the absence of strong winds which made the frequent clear days feel mildor that they really were, for frosty nights kept temperatures down to normal lcve* Easterly weather gave some dull, wot spells especially in eastern districts of the North Island, but otherwise rainfall was unusually light. Such weather hn« ! made no heavy call on supplementary . fodder and there is practically no I winter feed problem this year. Already 1 there is spring growth in pastures and many plants show abnormal develop- j ment for tho time of the year. Autumn j sown wheat has had a good start and further cultivation for spring sown crops has been carried out without hind- | ranee. Conditions havo been ideal for lambing and calving and favourable to the health of stock generally. Rainfall.—As already indicated the month was very dry generally'. The ex- I ceptions were in tho Whangarei-Bay of Islands region and also in coastal areas from Hawke’s Bay to East Cape. Cen- 1 tral and western districts had less than j half the normal amount of rain and many places in tho interior of the latter less than a quarter. Several stations established new records, and in Southland there has been some shortage of tank water. Temperatures departed very little from normal, being somewhat above in the south and tending slightly below in tho north. Nights were cool, with widespread and frequent frosts, which were reported in South Auckland. There is less snow than usual on the ranges. Sunshine was in excess at most stations, a majority of records being 20 hours above the average. Weather sequence.—Tho weather was improving at tho beginning of the month as cold southerly winds gradually decreased, but an anticyclone was mov ing northwards while a depression reached southern New Zealand on tho 2nd. Rain developed in the west and south of tho South Island and later spread, to most districts. The depression became stationary to the east ol New Zealand, a centre being located until tho Bth iu tho Bay of Plenty rogion. Consequently moderato southerlies prevailed giving dull conditions south of East Capo with rain and drizzle along the coast, but elsewhere tho weather was clear. A freshening of the winds occurred on the 6th iu and about the Cook Strait region and the weather changed to a showery type, with hail and snow, mainly in eastern districts and especially about the Poverty Bay area. Clear anticyclono weather prevailed from the 9th to tho 11th. Au extensive disturbance, wtih lowest pressures to the south, approached from the west and was over the Dominion on the 12th and when rain fell in most districts with moderato totals in Westland and central provinces. Pressure then rose over New Zealand and au anticyclone intensified near Chatham Islands, causing a predominance of northeasterly winds. An almost station ary disturbance developed in the north on the 16th, so that over tho Auckland Province easterly winds increased bringing unsettled conditions with rain, which extended at times to beyond Hawke’s Bay. A weak disturbance gave some scattered rain on tho 21st and 22r.d and thereafter pressure becamo relatively uniform over the Tan man Sea and New Zealand. Morning fogs became rather more widespread at this period. North of New Zealand during tho 23rd a cyclonic centre developed causing strong easterly winds once more over the Auckland Province, with somo gales. Rain extended from tho north over most of the North Island and somo of the South, falls being heaviest on tho cast coast of the former. Tho cyclone over tho country brought a gen oral improvement. Rain, however, de I veloped, in the west coast of tho Soutn Island on the last day of the month.