FINE SPRING MONTH

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1934, Page 2

FINE SPRING MONTH

CONDITIONS DURING OCTOBER ONE OF THE BEST EXPERIENCED With the exception of the first two days, October was very mild _ and equable, states a report by the Dominion Meteorologist. There was much less westerly wind than usual at this time of the year. Conditions are rather dry in the east of the North Island, but in Nelson, Marlborough and Canterbury the subsoil is thoroughly soaked for the first time during the past four to five years. Over the rest of the country, though rainfall has been on the light side so far this year, there is no acute shortage. On the whole, October was one of the best spring months experienced. There has been a.wonderful flush of growth in grass and vegetation generally, and the countryside has never looked greener. Stock are in good condition, although in some districts lambs have not thriven as well as might be expected. The prospects for fruit and other crops are very good. Some trouble has been experienced in parts of Canterbury and Marlborough from excessive moisture. In Taranaki, western Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough and Canterbury rains were in general much above the average, though there were a few exceptions. Wellington city and much of Marlborough had double the normal total. In Westland the falls were for the most part about average. The remainder of the country received much less than is usual in October.

After October 7 the month was very mild, with no prolonged or severe spell of cold southerly wind. Nevertheless, mean temperatures were almost everywhere below normal. The departures were fairly large on the east coast but very small on the west. Sunshine conditions were very irregular. Considerable departures from the average were recorded at numbers of places, but excesses and deficits appeaito be about equally mixed. Lake Tekapo had 246.5 hours, Napier 226.1, Tauranga 215.5 and Blenheim 211.7. On October 1 northerly gales raged at many places from Nelson and Marlborough northwards, and the Wairarapa experienced the most destructive gale in its history. The reason why this wind was so damaging is not very clear, since in the higher levels and at Wellington, for instance, stronger blows have been recorded. It must, however, have descended with unusual force to the lbw levels after crossing the Tararua Ranges. Such a descent is favoured if the ground is unusually warm, and the fact that the night of September 30 to October 1 was unusually warm at Welling-* ton, while a very high maximum temperature was recorded at Masterton, is in accordance with this., A strong southerly wind and a sharp cold snap followed on October 2 and snow fell to low levels on the ranges.