THE WEATHER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23702, 9 January 1939, Page 5

THE WEATHER

CONDITIONS IN DECEMBER RAINFALL WELL ABOVE NORMAL ‘Per United Press Association) WELLINGTON, Jan. 7. The following notes on the weather during December are supplied by the Dominion Meteorologist. Dr E. Kidson:— In the final few days of the month settled conditions obtained in the northern half of the North Island, but otherwise December was a most unseasonable month with much cold, wet weather and persistent strong winds in many places. The exceptionally frequent rains have seriously interfered with haymaking, while shearing and cultivation operations, especially in the higher country, are well behind schedule. Although the strong winds have caused some drying up in the Hawke’s Bay area, pasture growth has. on the whole, been well maintained, in some places almost too abundant, and stock are in good condition Lambs, however, although growing, are not fattening as well as usual The continuation of cold, damp weather has retarded crops, gardens, and shrubs and blights are making their appearance Compared with recent years however, the white butterfly and other insect pests are present in much reduced numbers The Rainfall

With the exception of small areas at Ihe tip of the Auckland Peninsula and *n the neighbourhood of Gisborne rainfall everywhere was well above the normal, great numbers of places having had double, or more than double, the average fall, while in most of the southern half of the South Island and also in parts of the central portion of the North Island it was the wettest December on record Although the monthly aggregates were high, individual falls were not, on the whole, excessive, the chief characteristic of the month being the unusually great number of wet days. The only very heavy falls over extended areas, causing floods, were those which occurred in Otago and Canterbury on the 3rd and 4th and in the Taumarunui district on the following week-end. Several cloudbursts in widely scattered places in the South Island also resulted in local flooding Temperatures In marked contrast with the previous December and also with November, 1938, temperatures were below normal over the entire country and considerably below it over most districts. In Hawke s Bay and Southland the departures were small, but elsewhere they were mostly close to. or In excess of, 2 Q Hamper Springs it was the coldest December since records began eooi . t * le mean temperature of 52.8 deg being 4.7 deg below the average. At New Plymouth also, it was the coldest on record, and one of the coldest in the Waikato Night temperatures were generally low, frosts being by no means rare in some districts, even of the North Island. Snow was relatively frequent In the Southern Alps, while at Mount Egmont there were falls on four successive weeks, the usual number in December being only one or two. Sunshine.

Considering the amount of rain experienced, the sunshine totals were not as low as might have been expected. In fact, Lincoln, with 243.5 hours, was well above the average. Everywhere else, however, with the exception of Rotorua. the amount recorded was well below normal, the largest deficit being 35,4 hours at Wellington. Thunderstorms The month was one of unusually frequent thunderstorms. From reports received so far, the only days on which none occurred, were December 1,2, 5, 10, 13, 28 and 30. The storms were of two distinct types. One gave widespread and prolonged thunder and lightning, but little, if any, hail; while the other was the more typical hailstorm. Two cases of the first type occurred on the night and early morning of December 7 to 8, where practically everywhere east of the ranges between Hokitika and New Plymouth had several electrical disturbances lasting over six hours in some places, and again in central districts on the night of December 15 to 16. Relatively little of the hall type occurred In the North Island, but has caused considerable damage to crops, gardens and orchards in Canterbury and Otago. Pressure Systems Except in the last week in the month, the anti-cyclones which moved eastward off Australia took a relatively northerly course when over the Tasman Sea, and families of depressions moving along their southern boundaries gave an unusual amount of * westerly and southerly weather in the Dominion. In the southern half of the North Island, in particular, strong winds were very persistent. The first series of depressions passed between December 2 and 5, giving general rain, with many heavy falls, followed on the latter day by severe southerly gales, Conditions improved during the next day or two, out by the morning of December 8 a very deep depression, the first of a new series, had moved on to the South Island, giving rain in central districts and the south, accompanied by the thunderstorms already mentioned. There were severe north-westerly gales in-the South Island, a tree being blown on to a train at Styx, in North Canterbury. This depression moved off the country fairly rapidly, giving general rain in the north on Decernber 9. December 10 was a fine day generally, but a phenomenally deep and vigorous cyclone 'ormed over New South Wales, causing many severe northerly gales the next day in the Dominion, a 75-ton crane being overturned at Greymouth Rain occurred In all western districts, but fortunately the centre of the storm passed to the south of New Zealand.

Apart from an intense one which gave general rain in central districts on December 20. the depressions in the next 10 days although frequent, were fairly weak the weather being changeable, with scattered rains and intervals of fair weather This was the period in which the majority of the thunderstorms occurred. Conditions were better on December 22 to 24, but the anti-cyclone which was approaching moved north, and an intense disturbance crossed the Dominion over Christmas, strong and unpleasantly cold south-westerly winds prevailing on December 26. From then on the weather in the North Island was relatively good, but remained changeable and unsettled in the South Island.