WEATHER AT LEESTON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3376, 3 February 1879, Page 3

WEATHER AT LEESTON.

Our Leeston contributor, who has already forwarded us items concerning the weather in the Elleemere district, sends the following : — "As an observer of the weather for many years at Home, and for four years in New Zealand, I never recorded so many variable winds as we have had this month. Up to Jan. 9 winds were steady from the proper direction, but from that date to the 301h they veered round to all points of the compass, especially on the 10th, 11th, 13th, 19th, 21st, 27th, 28th, and 29th, and on the intermediate dates — they veered round in about 48 hours. What, perhaps, was the most remarkable was, they always veered round in the same direction, viz,, from N. to W. and round by S. to N. again. I inferred from this that we would have either heavy rain or a strong gale, and on the 30th a strong gale set iv from the S. and S.W. Now, if from a careful notice of the winds at Home extending over many years, gales or storms are foretold, why should not the same in time be predicted here ? The following short extract from Professor Anstead's work on ' Weather ' may be interesting: — 'When the wind, in shifting, goes round in the direction of tl*e hands' of a clock, from N. by E. to S., or from S. by W. to N., the change may be looked on as not unfavourable to fine weather ; but when the wind backs and veers from N. by way of W. to S., and from S. by way of E. towards N., bad weather may be expected to follow. Apply this mode of reasoning to winds for this month, and notice the results. Upon the whole the weather has been very favourable for harvesting. Winds, N.W 5 days. K 2 „ N.E 7 „ S 2 „ S.W. ... ... 9 „ S.EL ... ... 3 „ E 2 „ „. W.... 1 » There were — v vVet 9 „ Fine 22 „ Cloudy ... ... 5 „ Thunder ... ... 1 »

Jr trust before- long barometer ami thermometer readings-, as well as Titan guage •record*, will be included in my monthly reports."