WEATHER IN OCTOBER.

Waikato Times, Volume 114, Issue 19100, 10 November 1933, Page 2

WEATHER IN OCTOBER.

A VERY DRY MONTH.

REPORT BY METEOROLOGIST. WELLINGTON. Thursday. The Dominion Meteorologist issues the following report;— • October was a very dry month. Though the first 20 days were mild some very cold weather for the time •of year followed. The snowfalls between the night of the 20th and the morning of the 23rd, in addition to being heavy, were most unusually widespread for 'October. The frosts following the sn'ow caused serious damage. In Central Otago the season’s fruit crop was almost totally destroyed. The cold and rather windy weather, combined with the lack of rain, checked the growth of pastures, and at the end of the month, owing to the general lack of moisture in the subsoil, the situation was distinctly dangerous. The Nelson district and Marlborough were especially unfortunate in missing the rains when other areas had moderate amounts, and pastures and crops have suffered correspondingly. Nevertheless, the country as a whole was standing up remarkably well under the dry conditions. Feed was actually becoming scarce in a comparatively few districts only. The lambing season had been an excellent one. Milk yields are still very high ana •stock are in good condition. The season'is a particularly early one, most places being a fortnight or more ahead of the usual stage of development. . ... The only places where the total rainfall exceeded the average were in western districts of the South Island and on the coast from Dunedin southward. Even in these areas excesses were not general. Over practically the whole of the North Island the deficit was considerable. In the South Island, in addition to Nelson and Marlborough, western -Canterbury and Otago had. in many places, less than half the average.

Temperature*. The mean temperatures were almost everywhere below the normal for October, and In most places considerably so. Christchurch proved an exception, the mean there being 0.8 degrees above normal. Until the 20th •conditions were generally mild, and Christchurch’s high figure was due to some very warm days experienced during this period. The cold spell from the 21st to the 24th was, bow ever, amongst the worst known for October. Severe frosts -occurred between the 22nd and 24th, the time of maximum oseverity being latest in he more northern areas. The most disastrous effects were In Central Otago, where the fruit crop was practically wiped out. At Stoke, near Nelson, also, much damage was done to orchards, but, on the whole, frui - growers in Canterbury. Nelson and Hawke’s -Bay were fortunate and suffered comparatively little. Losses of potatoes, tomatoes, and small fruits were heavy in many districts. There ■were frosts again at many places a week later. Though not severe, they cheoked growth, and In the J'elson and Marlborough districts intensified the effect' of the rain scarolty on pastures and vegetation generally. Sunshine was generally muoh above normal. Nelson recorded 283.3, Blenheim 264J8, and Lake Tekapo 246.6 hours.

Pressure Bystems. At the beginning of the month the weather was controlled (by a strongly developed high-pressure system, and Hue conditions ruled throughout the first week. During the 7th and Bth a •westerly depression passed causing scattered rain. After a second spell of high pressure, a series of westerly depressions followed one another closely across the Dominion between the lith and 17th. During this period rain was fairly general, but heavy falls were not numerous except in western districts. The deepest of the depressions passing on the 14th, was accompanied in places by thunderstorms. Snow fell on the high levels of Canterbury. The most Important of the month’s storms were the two which occurred between the 20th and 23rd. Both developed on the coast of New South Wales where each was of mclonic form thou Sh connected wltu a westerly depression passing in the South. While the first was crossing New Zealand on the 20th, it deepened rapidly, and in its rear the southerly winds proved to be unusually cold for the time of year. Snow fell on much of the high country, particularly on the eastern side of the South Island and in the Wellington Province. A temporary clearance followed at most places on Saturday, but the second depression passed rapidly eastward over the Dominion, deepening in the process as its predecessor had done. Again the southerlies were severe. Snow' was widespread on all the high levels, even t.o the Gisborne district. There were falls, also, on the Canterbury Plains and coastal areas of Otago and Southland. During the 22nd and 23rd, hailstorms were very numerous in districts cast of the ranges. Rain was practically general during this period. The last series of depressions was experienced between the 28th and 30th. Comparatively little rain accompanied them, but they were followed on the 30th and 31st by cold southerlies.