UNSEASONABLE MONTH

Southland Times, Issue 21002, 7 February 1930, Page 11

UNSEASONABLE MONTH

WEATHER IN JANUARY. EXCEPTIONAL RAINS RECORDED. (Per United Press Association.) Wellington, February 6. In the course of notes on the weather for January, Dr. Kidson, Director of the Meteorological Services, states that it was a most unseasonable month. Unsettled weather prevailed, with only a few breaks. Cloudiness and the number of wet days were much above the average, while sunshine was considerably below it. Temperatures fell below the usual for January by an unusually large amount and the rainfall was almost everywhere in large excess. The only exceptions to this rule were in parts of North Auckland, the Bay of Plenty and Southland. The month was, in fact, the wettest January since 1923, which was the wettest so far recorded. At Auckland, Timaru, Geraldine and a few other places record falls for. January were experienced. Abundant rainfall has ensured a prolific growth of grass and vegetation generally. Crops are in a good state, the damage done by rain being less severe than might have been expected. There has been some tendency in Canterbury for wheat- stalks to break off near the roots, the effect chiefly of the earlier dry spell. Some crops, too, will be difficult to harvest through having been beaten down. Grass, though plentiful, is rather soft. Dairy cattle are doing well, but lambs are not fattening properly. Hay-making has been everywhere retarded or prevented, but farmers converting fodder into ensilage have been more fortunate. Fruit crops are good for the most part, but with stone fruit this is not the case. A dry spell in February will be of much benefit. Though weather of a westerly type has again been less predominant than in ordinary years, two spells experienced were quite sufficiently vigorous samples. The first occurred during the first week of the month. The principal depression of this series was deep V. depression which crossed New Zealand on the fourth. On that day there were widespread northerly gales. Very heavy and general rain fell on the third and fourth in the Thames Valley. There was some flooding and the Mangamahoe dam in Taranaki was damaged by a cloudburst on the fifth. Though there was less rain there were some severe hailstorms in Canterbury, Marlborough and Wellington. The second westerly spell lasted from the nineteenth to the twenty-second. Northerly or north-westerly gales were particularly severe at Wellington and the 24 hours ending at 9 a.m. on the twenty-first was one of the windiest ever experienced. In Canterbury also high winds caused some damage. Very heavy rain fell on the ranges of the South Island during this period and there were considerable snowfalls on the high levels. Thunderstorms were recorded at many places at Auckland on the twentyfirst. A torrential downpour caused flooding in some of the city streets. The steamship Awarua was struck by a thunderbolt while at Halfmoon Bay, Stewart Island, on the twentieth. During the remainder of the month storm systems were mainly of cyclonic form. On the eighth a shallow cyclone developed in the Bay of Plenty and deepened rather rapidly through the night. At the same time a rather intense anti-cyclone crossed the southern portion of the South Island. The result was that'strong southerly or south-easterly winds suddenly set in and rose to gale force in places, especially in Cook Strait. Temperatures fell sharply, bringing on an unusually cold spell for the season of the year. Rain was almost general with many heavy falls between the eighth and the eleventh, especially on the eighth and ninth, eastern districts receiving the highest totals on the night of the eighth. vSnow fell on the mountain tops of the South Island and hail was recorded at places. Another cyclone approached New Zealand on the fourteenth and passed through Cook Strait on the fifteenth. Execept in the far north and south-west there was again general and heavy rain. Falls were particularly heavy in Canterbury, where there was much flooding. In the Ashburton County the floods were the heaviest known. Almost general rains, with many heavy falls, especially in the South Island, were again experienced on the twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth, when a cyclone moved across Canterbury. Thunderstorms were rather numerous during the month.