METEOROLOGICAL REPORT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 64, 16 March 1936, Page 6

METEOROLOGICAL REPORT

WEATHER DURING FEBRUARY Alk\<»RM \L RAIN! VI. WELLINGTON. Ma. h 7. Toe Dominion Meter.d-.gE: trpvr;? on weather condition-, during February as under:— - 1 hitherto recorded in Ne v Zealand. but except for the western and eoithi.rn portions of the South L-la.ii. it doubtful whether even in a winter .*,->nth -o nt tie h rain has fallen over the .-oun’ry as a whole. Flooding <>-.-<-urr?.’ m tinj-.s over practically the v. hole of the No th Island, and in part- of the Au-’kLml Province the flood? of the Ist • ! 2nd I —i—- r-> *.uth| fl wlmg. In t nnrnrbnrv 1 th. 19th to _IM «crr th.- iw-i s,-v. r.. I to unprecedented h*’ght?. hi addi hi i. weather between the ,a ’• . in ?onscquenee of the net t'-t..-*. 1 *• r hacral’y and the milk yield has been well I maintained. Fur >■.** •]» the grass is to*? I rank and -oft ami lambs are not fattening well. Severe damage has been done* tn the wheat crop which otherwise* would have been excellent; In man' I ra-e« grain, both “landing and in .'looks. has sproute<l. Other » rops arc generally poor, and rondi lions have be. ii extremely unfavourable for hay making. The apple crop, however, ap- I |.-;rs tn be satßfartorv. White bnttcr-l Rainfa'i.—Over the whoi»* <»f the I North Uland ex iron el;. net weather ■ bout three to fon for I’ebruarv. t’w.jgh in place, with l . 11iveil. s eLew here. I . M ..... ... . and >•» it iil.-i had le.-s than the ax er I ago rai: . I- —nth Westland there | ’'7pn 1 h 1 2rat I '7X'irh’" S s | 1 then werel c*'l‘i -pcl’i- *r the till lit >;:! I when the South l-lnnd . the l!«th and they mild, in rn*»-t cases the • ran trrnprra i tire? nrrr (.«■ n»rmai but the r »* J ; ’ .. .. all- athe average. Marlborough I and most of Canterbury rxp« rienerd a 1 < old month, the departures from normal | being approximate!} 2 degree- F. Few < frn-t- were reported. Sunshine. Invercargill. wn'i I.S? 1 hours had considerably more sunshine ; than usual, while Gore anti luunedir. also, were above the average. Everywhere r’se there were large deficiencies. 4‘» to 50 hours being common. It ua> I the absence of sunshine ami consequent low maximum temperatures which was principally responsible f->r the low mean temperatures for the n «>nth. Tau- i ranga. with 20.7.2 hours, had the high-1 est registration. Storm System-.—During the night u: ' the Ist and the morning of the 2nd 1 a deep cyclone which had originate*! j to the northwest of the New Hebrides, rapidlv increasing its speed of movement, travelled down the western side of the Auckland Peninsula and thence across the centre of the North Island and away in a south-easterly direction. Tn mo-t of the Auckland Province north easterly ga!e> were followed, after the centre passed, by south westerly. Elsewhere over the North Ts : and southerly or south easterly gales were experienced. Though short-lived, owing to the rapid movement of the storm, these winds rose to whole gale force in ronie exposed positions. It "as probably the most violent storm ever experienced a: most places in rhe North l-land an*( certainly caused more nestrnction than any previous one. Ex f'- mrlv heavy rain- occurred, falls of fmir m eleven inches being the rule. TBough there were some haavy rain-,

tai:?, principally in Marlborough, the bouth Island was little affected. The remaining storms were rather complex instructure and none was severe until the centre had passed New Zealand, although heavy rains were produced. The lirst of these systems operated from the t»th to the 9th. On the 7th to Bth there were southerly gales; the temperature dropped sharply; snow fell on the ranges of the South Island; and there were many violent thunder and na'J storms. Rain was practicallv general and in many places heavy. Canterbury had heavy rains on this occasion. Widespread. though brief, flooding occurred. Another very wet period was from *hc 17th to the 22nd. There was no veiy violent storm but the persistence of high pressure in the Chatham Island region while depressions approached from the west led to the rainfall being very heavy, especially in Canterbury. where there was severe flooding and much damage done. At Akaroi 94 inches of rain fell between 9 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. on the 20th and for 24 hours the fall was 1.73 inches. A depress:on which passed on the 25th deepened when to the eastward and was followed by a severe southerly gale. Again there was heavy rain at many places. Thunderstorms were frequent during the month and unusuallv violent. Several buildings were ‘truck and some stock were killed. A hailstorm in the Nelson district on the 7‘h did much damage to the tobacco crop.