JULY WEATHER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 10 August 1942, Page 3

JULY WEATHER

MONTH OF RAPID CHANGES RAINFALL ABOVE AVERAGE The Dominion Meteorologist reports jon the weather during July as followGeneral Notes: July was a month oi ■lapid changes in the metcoroJogica ! situations. For a winter month concli- | lions were not severe but an exces s ul j dull, wet weather made it unpleasan l !in central New Zealand. Stock arc wintering well with plenty of greer ; feed in most districts. The cold spel. | towards the end of the month, however. gave a temporary cheek to paslures. Autumn sown wheat is Deportee to tie making good growth. I Rainfall: Rains were well spread ovei j the month and totals were, in mos I cases, above average. The drier areas comprised Hauraki Plains.. Southern Hawkcs Bay. and the plains soul! of Christchurch. The greatest rain * fall surpluses occurred in Souther!. Taranaki, Wellington. Marlborough am the ranges of south Nelson. The. coni tinuous rains of the 13lh and 1411 caused flooding in the Manawatu Wairarapa, West Coast ml Marlborough. Temperature- were comparatively mild during the early part of the ! month but were much colder towards the close. The means were above normal by slight amounts in the South Insland but by 2deg. F. in eastern districts of the North Island. The chief per. i iods of snowfall were centred at the 14th and 30th. Frosts were severe in some [localities but were less intensive and widespread than usual. Sunshine: While the duration ■! bright sunshine was better than average in the southern half of the South Island elsewhere figures were poorer, there being a marked lack of sunshine in Taranaki. Wellington and Nelson. Weather Sequences: During the firs! two days a depression moved southeastward over the North Island causing strong northerly winds with considerable rain, which was heaviest in the far north. Between the 3rd and 6th the situation was of the westerly type with gales at times about Cook Strait. In and west of the ranges there were heavy showers, but little rain fell to the cast until the 7th when winds turned to the south west ahead (if an anti-cyclone. This was centrally over New Zealand on the Bth when fine weather was general. On the 9th and 10th there was scattered drizzle from a weak trough, but a sharper one on the 11th brought heavier rain especi ally in Westland. This trough was retarded when it. reached Wellington as a centre developed in the west. Northerly gales were experienced in the north and south-easterly about Cook Strait. In central New Zealand rain fell steadily and gave rise to flooding which was severest in the Manawatu region. Late on the 14th a cold front began its passage over the country, the following squally south-westerlies bringing snow to some low levels in the South Island and considerable coatings to the northern ranges. Showers became less frequent during the 16th and skies cleared, making widespread sharp frosts possible. Conditions deteriorated on the 18th when a deep depression trom the South Tasman Sea caused heavy rain on the west coast, south of New Plymouth. A weak antii_ cyclone brought a rapid but brief improvement. A< a result of complex disturbances in the next low pressure trough rain fell at times in western and central districts on the 21st and 22nd. On the following two days an active depression moved from the north close to the eastern coast of Auckland Province. Widespread rain accompanied the depression, the heaviest falls being near East Cape. Pressure meanwhile remained relatively high in the far south. A further northern disturbance on the 28th and 29th gave general rain over the North Island, where cold south-easterlies brought snow to the hills. On the final days squally southerly winds prevailed with showers of rain and hail or sleet on parts of the east coast.