AN UNPLEASANT JANUARY

Taranaki Daily News, 7 February 1931, Page 9

AN UNPLEASANT JANUARY

UNUSUALLY STORMY MONTH.

By Telecraph.—Press Association.

Wellington, Last Night. The following notes on the weather of January are supplied by the Director of Meteorological Services: Conditions as regards crops and pastures underwent considerable improvement during January. Owing to the increased rainfall much of the vegetation exhibited springlike features for the second time this ricason. Oil the whole the month was very stormy and wet, with temperatures below normal, especially in western district®. The month was a very Wet one for moat of the western district®, but particularly sb on the WestCoast and the high country of the South Island. In Southern' Westland it was perhaps the wettest January oh record. Several stations received over 40 inches of rain.

Except iu the northern and east coast district® of the North Island temperatures were below the previous average. At Wellington and on the West Coast of the South Island the amounts by which the mean temperature fell below the January average have seldom been exceeded. "A frost on January 17 at Christchurch was the severest ever recorded in January. Weather of a westerly type prevailed throughout the greater part of the month. There whs a number of rather severe depression®, most of them accompanied by several “secondaries.” Anticyclones passed mainly to the north of New Zealand, consequently, though there was much fine weather, with hot and dry winds, in eastern districts, in those with a westerly aspect fine spells were few and short duration, The month was generally regarded as a very unpleasant one for the time of the year.