THE WEATHER.

Southland Times, Issue 983, 10 July 1868, Page 2

THE WEATHER.

M-ETEOBOXOGHOAIi OBSEEVATIOHS, JUNE, 1868. Mabtendale Station. — Remarks : — The month opened v?ith very stormy weather, hut after the sth only one unfavorable day was experienced. From the 16th to the end of the month was uninterruptedly fine, and an almost perfect calm prevailedi the diurnal atmospheric movement being only about 20 miles. Sharp night frosts occurred during the last six days, the thermometer sinking from 7 to 11 deg below the freezing point. The great storm of the Ist, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, was the severest recorded for several years. It commenced at about midnight on the 31st May with a furious gale from the westward, accompanied by rain, hail, sleet, snow, thunder and lightning. This continued throughout the Ist and 2nd, a lull taking place in the afternoon of the latter day, when the barometer, which had been rising and had not fallen much before the beginning of the storm, suddenly went down with such rapidity that at midnight it had decreased (rom 29 70 to 28"94 inches, a depression of *75 inch in eight hours. At 10 p.m. (on the 2nd) the lull was succeeded by an outbreak of the tempest of far greater violence than before, the snow continued to fall heavily, and the barometer steadily decreased. At midnight the gale increased, and at 1 a.m. on the 3rd reached its height, when its fury was such as I have rarely known exceeded ; at the same time a violent thu'i'lerator.u passed overhead, lasting nearly an hour ; the lightning was extremely vivid, and accompanied by tremendous thunder and heavy snow. There was little improvement during the 3rd, and the snow lay three inches deep on the ground ; but on the 4th there was a manifest lull, and on the sth the weather cleared up and changed to brilliant sunshine and clear skies, with high and steady barometer. The mean temperature of the air was 290 deg, which is 3*9 deg lower than the nine years' average. The total waterfall was 3*67 inches, which is an inch less than the average of the same period : of this amount over 3 inches fell in the storm above-mentioned, leaving only about half an inch for the remainder of the month.. Of the 5350 miles of wind which passed it. June, no less than 3250 miles were registered during the first five days, when pressure often exceeded 30 lbs to the. square foot, and once or twice very nearly reached 32 lbs. Barometer (at 32 deg Pah., and sea level) — Maximum, 30301 (17th) ; minimum, 28944 (3rd) ; mean, 29-910 ; range, 1-357. Thermometer in shade — Maximum, 59*0 (21st) ; minimum, 21*4 (26th) ; mean, 39"0 ; total range, 37*6 ; mean daily range, 18"0 deg. Radiation— Solar maximum, 92"6 (21st) ; ter- - restrial minimum, 162 (26th). Hygrometer — Pew-point, 34"4 deg ; vapour tension, 0*199 inch ; humidity, '84. Rainfall — Total in month, 3*67 inches j maximum daily fall, I*o4 inch (2nd) ; days rain fell, 11. Evaporation — Total in month, o'B6 inch. Cloud — Mean amount, 46. Wind— N., 0; N.E., 0 ; E., 11 ; S.E., 3 ; S. S.W., 0; W., 7; N.W., 9 days. Anemometer — Mean daily movement, 178 miles; maximum, 780 miles (3rd). Gales on Ist, 2nd, 3rd, 4th ; thunder on Ist, 2nd, 3rd ; snow on Ist, 2nd, 3rd, 4th ; hail on Ist, 2nd, 3rd, 4th ; fog on 11th ; lunar halo on 28th j heavy rain on Ist, 2nd, 3rd, and 12th. Chaeies Roirs Marten, Meteorological Director.