THE WEATHER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5413, 24 March 1879, Page 2

THE WEATHER.

No. 12. Abstract of obser- Averaza ration for week Average Max. I Mia. sam# ending March 22 week.*73 Mar 22VMar. 21* Biro, (corrected) 30 041 30*272 29 460 20 0« Mar. 21, Mar. 22, Temperature (day) 73*2 7ti'7 ! 69* 72* Mar. 2 VMar. 21 „ (night) 63*1 65* j 55"3 555 ~ (mean) 6S*l — I — £3-3 „ (sun) 79*9 51*2,22 d — _ ~ "Dew Point 50*8 — { — 57* Humidity (s 0-100) 77—S S3-4, ISt 6£-7,16h! 74.5 Slar. 21. Mar. 22.1 Wind (relocity) 300*7 m. 533 mS 142 S. \V 253 7m. Cloud (scale 0-10; € S — | — 51 Total rainf&U .. 1*7451 a. l*7lsinJ — "15in. Har. 21.J Xo. of days'ram.. 4 — i — o Barometer read twice diily, at 10 p.m. and it 9 a.m.; also occasionally in time? of atmospheric disturbance All dates refer i» 10 a.m , and enervations are those of the previjus 24 hours. (*)AtJ a.m. (t) At 7.20 p.m. (20th). (t) Again on 19th. Hi) Wind N., shifting to S.E. (21st). Mostly fair and warm; wind generally fresh though occasionally very light; ©ne day and night of very heavy rain with strong squall*; &ud much dond throughout the week. Temperature higher than uanal, the approximate mean being 2J degrees above tho average, and greater than that of any week in thu ye*r, excepting only tbe second week iu January, to which it approaches vecy closely. ThU great rise is maUly observable in the night temperature, which has been twice or thrice very close and oppressive. The remarkable difference between d*y and night on the Slit (Thursday, 20th) was due to the sudden ch iage of wind about 8 p.m., which swept back the body of warm and moist air, which had for some diys previously come over frem the north and east. Neither the sun temperature nor the solar radiation shew a proportionate exce3t ov*r former weeks, the last-named giving a mean reading of 1205", with an exticme of 123 son the 22nd. The threatening appearances of Saturday last appear te have indicated a storm to the southward of the Auckland district; the wind, which had been blowing steadily from Sf. and N.B. for several diy?, having kept back tho rain which fell so heavily ar Greyraouth and elsewhere on the Monday. The weather was fair and warm here, though often cloudy, and, occasionally very oppressive from the extreme dampness of the ai r , till Thursday, on which day rain began early, and fell in frequent sl : gbt showers till about 3 p.m., at which time it commenced to fall very heavily, becoming gradually lighter till. 11 p.m., when it ceased, asd the sky cleared up with bright starlight, for these ei?bt hours the total rain registered was 1 - Tls:n. Very light showers on three other days bring up the amount for the week to l*74sin. The wind gives a rather greater average than usual, a high figure being recorded for the moriiing of the 2lst, from the short bnt violent gile that came up at S o'clock on the previous evening. The day's record of 533 miles gives an average velocity of 22 2 miles ; but as the ob?erved velocity at 9 30 a.m. on the 20th. and again on tho 2lst at the same hour, was 12 5 mile?, and the gale lasted only for eight hours at the most, the average rate of the wind during that time was at lea-t 40 miles per hour. The wind came up sudden'.y from the west, going round to iouth, and thence to south-east. The barometer dropped slowly from the monrng of tl;e '6th t3O*2SS) to the evening of the 20th (19: li) at 30*003 ; thcu foil suddenly and heavily for the following 21 bourn, and at 7.20 p.m. of the 21st (Thursd«y. 20th) reach-d the point nuted in the table. Thecce 'Is w.is even more rapid, for at 10 p.m it had touched 29 G7l. ami at 9 o'clock of the f.illoricg morning 30*059. thoj giving a rife of '6 in 14 hour*, as the strong westerly a»>d sout icrly winds swept away the damp, warm tro ic air. F.ven as lowered by this st rm, the mean reading is rather above the Tbe present tendency of the barometer is stowy downwards. Avera:*fs for th* month of Starch, IS6I-73 Barometer (corrected) .. .. .. 3')'o2C Approximate mean temperature .. 65*6 Rainfall (proportionate ptrt .. .. *G Ei/wi-N" B. Dicks .n, G vernmett Observer.