DULL WEATHER IN APRIL

Southland Times, Issue 24114, 1 May 1940, Page 4

DULL WEATHER IN APRIL

Rainfall Above The

Average

MONTH’S STATISTICS FOR INVERCARGILL

Although the sun shone on 25 days and there were eight days without any rain the weather in Invercargill for April was cold and dull. The rainfall exceeded the average for April and the hours of sunshine were below the average. The month started badly. A cold, dull and stormy first week began with a record rainfall of 2.18 inches, and in the first 12 days there was only one day without rain. The second week was changeable, but dull and wet weather predominated and it was not until early in the fourth week that there was a noticeable improvement. Sunshine was recorded on 25 days, the total being 103 hours. Long “burns” of sunshine were few and far between, and on only seven days were six or more hours recorded. The best days were 7.5 hours on April 13 and 7.3 hours on April 22. The total for the first four months of 1940 is 587.3 hours—an average of 147 hours a month in a period which includes two of the summer months.

With so much dull weather it was only to be expected that there would be a fairly heavy rainfall. The total was 4.84 inches, exceeding the long-period average for April in Invercargill by .70 inches. Last year the rainfall for April was 3.84 inches and for April 1938 it was .07, a remarkably low figure and probably a record. In Invercargill’s favour it could be said that excepting the deluge of April 1 when 2.18 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, the rainfall was not at any period heavy. On many days barely enough rain to wet the earth fell—on 14 days less than 10 points fell. Eleven frosts were experienced, but none was severe enough in the city limits to cut vegetation. In the suburbs, however, the frosts left their mark and much vegetation in kitchen gardens was damaged. Four of the frosts were of five degrees intensity, and there were four of four degrees. They were well spread throughout the month, the first, of three degrees, being recorded on April 2 and the last, of five degrees, on April 22. Following are the detailed returns supplied by Mr J. L. Lennie, Government weather recorder, taken from readings made at 9 a.m. each day:—

THE RAINFALL The following is a comparative table of the rainfall for the past four years: 1937 1938 1939 1940

wtorototorototorotoro cd oo o cn co to^ocDoo^aictt^coto*- 1 Date ~q 00 00 00 CO -q to Q o Cloud Max. Dry CiCnuidOODOtn vi tn CH CH cn C5 O O CH — J oo O I— 1 to CH CH CH CH cntn CiDOClClClQ Therm. rfi. co 00 >£» CO CO Min. Dry ch -q -q -q cd Therm. WWWWWWWWMMMWWMWWMM cocococotocococotototoco Terrestial <0 -O <• 1 CO CO ►£- tO-q 00 CO o cn -q co cn ~q -q Solar Max. J X [ X 00 00 CD CO O CD 00 O O -q -O 00 00 co 00 CO 00 o H H OvXQ 00 00 00 CD CD CD CD 00 CD 00 00 00 Therm. to Rainfall S3 o o o co | | | loo -AY >-! .< tn cn I I 1 I >u Oi Sssi SI | h o to w | o o i— 1 -~q O H 4 CC CD I co -q H* 0.0 CO 00 inches r m w | to -q o to 1 to I C7J CX) -o CO 4X CH to CO H* | Sunshine J± <i w 1 ix 1 in w — CO I ’•< H cn bo to co bo 1 bi co ‘-q hours Wind £M| | ;S| ‘ P . H • • -dsr Id-

January 4.38 3.73 7.80 5.03 February 5.83 2.20 3.94 13.52 March 5.41 4.47 1.80 2.40 April 3.07 .07 3.84 4.84 May 3.69 4.85 3.57 June 2.90 4.28 2.37 July 3.48 2.64 4.83 August 1.99 2.88 3.71 September 2.04 2.01 3.68 October 1.37 4.88 1.72 November 2.56 3.24 4.48 December 3.46 7.57 3.98 TOTALS 40.23 43.45 45.62