THE WEATHER FOR JULY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2685, 30 August 1905, Page 13

THE WEATHER FOR JULY.

REMARKS OF THE OBSERVER.

The following is extracted from the report of the meteorological observer, the Key. U. C Bates, for the month of July: — 'july is regarded as ihe midwinter month o* New Zealand, because tho temperature £' then lowest, and the rainfall generally the heaviest. This year, however, the ramfall was mostly heavier m June, and though the temoerature shows a decline yet the weather 'of July was on the whole fa iriy mild, and marked by an absence of hi g ■niixU The snort remarkable feature* in the 'rainfall returns are the continuances of a wet period on the east coast of the Noith Island, and of the dry spell in the south of the South Island, InvercargiU and Dipton recording minimum falls for July tor 14 .-ears' returns. West of the dividing ranges of the North Island— that is, over Taranaki and Wellington-the rainfall is only sbout half the July average, but on the cast side of the ranges, in the Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay districts, the rainfall is quite double" ths usual. Elsewhere over the centre of the North Island the rainfall was about the average for previous years, but in excess over the Thames and Bay of Plenty. North of Auckland the records arc more uneven. The record at Pakaraka is lower than that in any previous July in 14year s, but elsewhere the fall was considerable. In the South Island, in Canterbury and the West Coast, the rainfall was above the July average. Several frosts occurred, but not very severe. The morning of the 3rd was the coldest throughout ""the colony; but ihe atmospheric conditions ytexe moa-fc disagree-

able about the 17th and 18th, when the barometer was rising, with southerly winds, cold rains, and snow in parts of both islands. Several mornings and evenings were foggy, and the ab«e-ico of wind prevented evaporation, bo that thn lands and roads did not dry un as much as de-Jred after the frequent and light showers experienced during the month. Thunder and lightning occurred on the night of the 25th, and on this date Mr K. W. Dalrymple, of Waitatapia, Bulls, reports : " A thunderbolt apparent'y fell on the road aboi'i a mile from here. People e'ose at hand heard a loud clap almost as if something hit the roof, and next morning there was a hole about 4ft deep with clearcut edges." Search was to ha made for a meteoric substance, but it is believed that none will be found, and that the hole is limply the effect of electricity, which dispersed on reaching the water in the subsoil.