RAIN IN CITY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23861, 11 January 1941, Page 8

RAIN IN CITY

FIEST OF NEW YEAE FEW LIGHT SHOWERS LITTLE IN OUTER AREAS The first rain of the new year in the close vicinity of Auckland, and the first in the city since Christmas Day, fell late yesterday afternoon. In the city it was trifling, not being sufficient to be recorded on the Herald gauge, but there were substantial showers in parts of the Titirangi and Waitakere districts, and at Waiuku there was heavy rain for a brief period last night. While the rain in some parts of the suburbs was probably enough to be of some benefit to arid gardens, the fall in most country areas was not considered sufficient to revive dry pastures. Many reports indicated that there had been barely enough rain to lay the dust. A light shower foil at Helensvillo about noon yesterday, and another an hour later. There was only a few minutes' fall at Pukekohe, late in the afternoon, and at Clevedon the rain was not sufficient to help farmers. Anglers at Taupo who have been waiting in vain for a break in the weather were disappointed again yesterday. The sky was heavily overcast, but it was reported last night that there had been no rain, and no consequent improvement in recent difficult fishing conditions. The barometer in Auckland yesterday fell below .'Win. for the first time since Christmas Day. It fell until about four o'clock, when the reading was 29.92 in., and after rising slightly it fell again last night, The midnight reading was 29.89 in. or 1012 millibars, still with a falling tendency.

HEAT AT HAMILTON 00 DEGREES RECORDED WAIKATO RIVER POPULAR [from our own- correspondent] HAMILTON, Friday After rising steadily every day during the week, the temperature in Hamilton yesterday reached 90 degrees, the highest of the summer. The heat has been made oppressive by excessive humidity, and many town workers have taken an opportunity in the lunch hour of having a swim in the Waikato River. The river has also been a favourite haunt of children on holiday from school, large numbers of them spending much of the day in cool spots along the banks. Although fine and sunny, to-dav was not as hot as yesterday, but householders generally are looking forward to rain to refresh their lawns and gardens.

j DRY SPELL IN NORTHLAND DAIRY PRODUCTION FALLS [from oun OWN correspondent] WHANG ARE!, Friday No rain has fallen in the Whangarei district since Christmas Eve, and the pastures are beginning to show the effects of the dry weather. Dairy production has shown a rapid decline from the record of December, and unless rain falls soon tho position will be serious. Mr. W. H. Millington, manager of the Whangarei Dairy Company, said his company had maintained a record production to the end of December, but since then the cream supply had fallen away very rapidly. A number of farms were already short of water for stock.

CANTERBURY EXPERIENCE HIGHEST FOR 12 YEARS [by telegraph—owx correspondent] CHRISTCHURCH, Friday The maximum temperature of SO.odeg. in Christchurch yesterday was t!ie highest to be recorded for the month of .January for the last 12 years. The same temperature was recorded once in January. 1928. and once in January. 1929, but since that time there has been only one recoru.ng of a higher temperature, that of 91deg. on December 24, 1937. The next highest temperature recorded during the month of January was in 1924, when on January 13 there were 92.6deg. Since records were first kept in 1905 a January temperature has only once risen above 95(1 eg. This was in 1908. when 95.3deg. were recorded. In country districts temperatures, which have been higher than usual for this time of the year during the last fortnight, to-day readied their maximum. At Darfield temperatures of more than 90deg. have been recorded on several days recently, and yesterday the maximum was 90.9deg. This applies also to Met liven. where the temperature has been more than 90deg., and to Ashburton and Culverden, with temperatures today of 90.5 and SSdeg. respectively.

HEAVY SHOWERS IN DUNEDIN COUNTRY AREAS NEED MORE [by telegraph-press association] DUX EDI X, Friday After a spell of hot weather, heavy showers fell yesterday afternoon and throughout the night, totalling in Dunedin I.2in, Unfortunately reports from the country do not indicate that the fall was in any like degree inland. North of Pa'nierston conditions are reported serious, with the probable wheat return only 20 bushels an acre.