WINTER IN AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20947, 10 August 1931, Page 10

WINTER IN AUCKLAND.

COLDEST FOR SOME YEARS. SATURDAY MORNING'S FROST. THERMOMETER UNUSUALLY LOW. The coldest period experienced in Auckland this year and for several years past occurred in the early hours of Saturday, morning, when the thermometer at the Albert Park observatory registered a minimum grass temperature of 27 degrees. According to the official method of computation, this represents 3.5 degrees of frost. In Auckland's comparatively mild winters frost of such a degree is rare. Abnormally low temperatures were recorded again yesterday. A white mantle of frost covered the open spaces of the city and suburbs :in the early morning and shortly-cropped lawns in suburban gardens presented a striking appearance while they were covered beneath a white veneer of frost. In the colder portions of the city, especially those with a southerly aspect, shallow pools of water were covered with a thin film of ice. Early vegetable crops in districts immediately south of Auckland suffered somewhat from the severity of the frost, newlyformed leaves turning brown and black. Brilliant sunshine followed the cold snap on Saturday and ushered in a fine weekend. Where the warming rays penetrated temperatures rose and outdoor games were played in ideal weather conditions during the afternoon, but the temperature in the shade remained low. Yesterday light clouds prevented the ground receiving tho full benefit of the sun and the thermometer, even in the afternoon, did not rise much above 50 degrees. Saturday's low thermometer reading will cause the winter of 1931 to be remembered as a very cold one. On Tuesday morning the thermometer on the grass at Albert Fark registered a minimum of 46 degrees. It dropped to 42 degrees on Wednesday, to 36 degrees on Thursday, to 30 degrees on Friday and to 27 degrees on Saturday. The coldest day last year was on July 31, when the same thermometer registered 29 degrees. The lowest temperature recorded in Albert Park in 1929 was 35 degrees. Showery weather supervened early last evening, a fairly heavy downpour occurring at six o'clock. The barometer, however, maintained its high level of 30.4 in. EXPERIENCE AT WHANGAREI. UNUSUALLY COLD SNAP. [Fit Oil OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] TVHANGAREI, Saturday. Another exceptionally heavy frost was experienced in the Whangarei district this morning and it was followed by a glorious day. The frost was more severe than that of yesterday morning, 4 degrees being registered in the higher portion of the borough and 5 degrees in the lower portion of tho town. Young plants suffered severely. ICE ON THE SEA. SURPRISE NEAR WELLINGTON. Patches of icc about half an inch thick, seen floating a short distance from shore at Eastbourne, on the eastern side of I Wellington Harbour, early last Friday morning, caused mild astonishment among some of the passengers by the ferry steamer Muritai for Wellington. The ice had apparently been formed close inshore and drifted with the current. A resident of Eastbourne said that in 18 years at Bona Bay ho had never before seen ice near the wharf and beach. Nor could he remember seeing tho surface of the water smoother.