WARM DRY MONTH

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 79, 8 January 1944, Page 5

WARM DRY MONTH

DECEMBER WEATHER EXCELLENT CONDITIONS FOR HARVESTING The Dominion Meteorologist's report on the weather during the month of December, 1943, is as follows: General: December was a warm settled month. Disturbances which crossed New Zealand were weak and any strong winds were of short duration. Most districts have had excellent concisions for harvesting and shearing, although some of the wool has been short. There has not been sufficient rain for many of the small crops and burnt pastures are adversely affecting dairy production. By the end of the month the fire hazard throughout the country was becoming serious. Rainfall: With few exceptions the month was very dry. Average totals were reached locally at Whangarei and about Taupo and exceeded at most places between Hastings and East Cape. Other districts were dry, the South Island as a whole had only about half its usual rainfall and Canterbury considerably less. In northern parts of that province some totals were extremely small. Temperatures: Mean temperatures for the month were mostly 1 or 2 degrees above normal. Temperatures were persistently high but on the 6th there were some light frosts affecting garden growth in parts of Southland. Sunshine: Except in the south-eastern portion of the Auckland Province the duration of sunshine was more than average, generally by substantial amounts. Wellington (with 313.2 hours i and Hokitika experienced the largest surpluses. Weather Sequence: At first a slight depression in the north was giving a lew showers about the Bay of Plenty and northern Hawkes Bay. As a cold front crossed New Zealand from the I west on Ihe 2nd and 3rd most districts, except Hawkes Bay and those south 6f j Banks Peninsula, experienced a period of rain. A small circulation developing north-west of Cook Strait caused heavy falls on either side of the Strait. An anti-cyclone advancing over the northern Tasman covered New Zealand on the 4th when conditions were mainly fair. A trough which advanced from the south between the 4th and 6th gave a few showers in eastern districts and rather cool temperatures in the south. During a thunderstorm near Tophouse on the afternoon of the sth. 1.41 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes. An anticyclone from the south had spread over New Zealand by the 6th. moderate northerlies predominated and except for isolated rain at first in the far north the weather was fair with temperatures becoming warmer. A trough which had been off southern New Zealand gave rain in the far southwest on the 10th, but when it advanced the next day light south-easterlies were accompanied by negligible rain and only slightly cooler temperatures. An anticyclone soon covered the South Island and merged with the other east of the North Island. The weather was mainly fair but on the 14th. north-wes-terlies began to freshen in central and southern districts with some gales on the 15th and 16th near Cook Strait. Intermittent rain developed in the west of the South Island and some heavy rain extended along the ranges to Taranaki. After disturbances passed off south-western New Zealand, a weak cold front, advanced northward on the 16th and brought only a brief southerly to the cast coast of the South Island. Pressure continued relatively high to the north-east but became very low to the extreme south and north-west-erlies or westerlies became strong in exposed positions. Isolated showers fell in western districts and there were scattered thunderstorms in the Auckland Province where it had been warm and humid. A moderate southerly change on the 18th and 19th gave a few showers mainly in Otago and Canterbury and later a disturbance deepening north of the Auckland Province gave some steady rain in northern districts, especially in the Napier-Gisborne-Bay of Plenty aiea. On the 21st an anticyolone was intensifying over the Tasman Sea. the weather becoming fair to fine and continuing settled and warm on the following two days. On the 24th the anticyclone moved eastward from the North Island, and north-westerlies became strong ahead of an advancing trough which was followed by a brief period of fresh south-westerlies. Moderate rain occurred in Westland and a few scattered showers in other southern districts. South-westerlies accompanying a cold front which reached New Zealand during the 25th gave showers in Otago and Southland and on the following two days isolated showers extended up the east coast where temperatures became appreciably cooler. An anticyclone from the west covered New Zealand on the 28th with fair to cloudy weather prevailing. A shallow trough passing over the South Island on the 30th gave a brief period of south-west-erlies with insignificant rain and cooler temperatures, but as the trough continued northwards it became still weaker and the following anticyclone merged with the one ahead. CANTERBURY DROUGHT The view that the present drought in Canterbury might easily be disastrous for farmers was expressed last night by the secretary of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, Mr A. P. O’Shea. A leading Canterbury farmer, he said, had told him that linen flax crops had been badly hit and wheat crops had received a severe check and would be poor. A north-west wind was drying pastures and lambs would suffer. The fact that freezing works had been closed over the holidays, together with the strike at Kaiapoi. might prove very costly. Lambs which it had not been possible to kill at the proper time would go back in condition.