OCTOBER SUNSHINE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19777, 3 November 1938, Page 8

OCTOBER SUNSHINE

2GI HOURS AT GISBORNE FIRST HALF THE LETTER SEVEN GROUND FROSTS Residents of Poverty Bay and visitors who have felt the fall in temperatures during the past few days will learn with surprise, possibly, that Gisborne enjoyed a total of 201.4 hours of bright sunshine for the month of October. This record, which is 20 hours better than that .registered at Nelson, compares well with the total of September, 1938, which provided 183. G hours of bright sunshine, and with October 1937, when a total of 165.9 hours was recorded.

The first half of October was the better, from the point of view of sunshine, and there were seven occasions upon which 11 or more hours of continuous bright sunshine was logged at the Gisborne climatological station. During the latter half of the month, daily records included only two double-figure entries, October 19 and 20 furnishing records of 12.2 and 12. G hours.

With a mean temperature of 57. G for the month, the thermometer readings showed a range of 20.5 degrees Fahrenheit. The highest temperature recorded was 78 degrees on' October 19, and the lowest was 87.4 degrees on October 9, these recordings being made in the screen. The grass temperature fell below freezing-point on seven occasions, however, the lowest reading for the month on the grass being 27.3 degrees, on October 26, when 9.5 hours of bright sunshine were logged.

Election-day weather was almost perfect, the maximum temperature being 70 degrees, and the minimum 45 degrees, in the screen, these temperatures being associated with clear skies and an unbroken 121 hours of bright sunshine, followed by a clear, cool evening.

Rainfall for the month totalled 1.56 in,, at the climatological station, the heaviest individual recording being .77 in. on October 24. There were nine entries in the rainfall column of the station’s returns, ranging down to a mere trace of overnight rain on October 7. During October 1937, the rainfall total was 3.G2in.

Winds were generally northwest, exceptions being recorded on Octobe’ - 8, 12, 25, 26, 29, 30, when the wind swung to the south-west, and October 18, when it worked right round to the south-east. There were seven completely calm days during the month, and at no time during October was a breeze of more than moderate freshness recorded.