THE WEATHER

Waikato Times, Volume 126, Issue 21057, 8 March 1940, Page 7

THE WEATHER

j METEOROLOGICAL NOTES UNSEASONABLE MONTH UNUSUAL FEATURES (By Tclegrapß.—press Association) WELLINGTON, Thursday Dr. M. A. F. Barnett, director of meteorological services supplies the ! following notes on the weather during February:— | February was a most unseasonable ! month presenting a number of un- | usual features. Average pressures were low generally but the lowest values were in the south, where prei vious records were broken. The westerly ype of siuaion, which he ; not common at this time of year, pre- : dominated throughout the month so that strong winds were very persistent. There was some rain on most days in western and far southern districts, which had an exceptionally wet month. Sunshine and temperature suffered accordingly. East of the ranges in the rain snadows, where the rainfall was light, the winds have parched the : countryside. Elsewhere pasture growth has been rapid and prolific i and most crops are good. Dairy yields have been moderate to heavy, and ) all stock are very healthy. Although ! harvesting has been delayed by wind and rain, the past weeks have seen most of the Canterbury wheat successfully harvested. High winds have caused considerable damage to trees and serious loss in orchards. White butterflies and other pests were fairly prevalent. Rainfall and Temperatures The Auckland Peninsula and some ; eastern areas, viz., Poverty Bay, : Wairarapa, and North Canterbury, show appreciable rainfall deficits. Elsewhere the averages were exceeded. For Taranaki, Westland, and Southland the month was the wettest February on record and at some ! stations, mostly in Southland, it was the wettest of any month irrespective of season. In these areas flooding was very serious, and towards the end the Canterbury rivers, fed by the heavy rains in the Alps, were unusually high. Thunder was frequent, especially in the far south, and was often accompanied by hail. Due to Fohn effects there were , many hot, windy days in the east where temperatures averaged about normal. Excepting the far north, i the rest of the country was cooler j than the normal, and in fact, the month was a record February for coldness in Central Otago and Westland, where the departures were as much as 5 degrees Fah. Although on several occasions snow fell on the ranges, temperatures were fairly uniform and no severe extremes were experienced. Some frosts occurred but they were quite light. Most of the ranges’ sunshine figures were extremely poor, while to the I east average values were exceeded. Blenheim had the high total of 272.1 hours. Weather Sequence Fair weather prevailed at the beginning of the month, pressure being high to the north. By the 3rd a | vigorous depression from the Tasman Sea had caused heavy rain in | western districts and intermittent | min became widespread. On the 4th, j with the advance of another anti- ! cyclone to the north, the weather ! cleared considerably but westerly ! winds were strong in many places. ! An extensive and active depression j crossing New Zealand on the 6th resulted in strong northerly winds. Cloud increased and in western areas south of Taranaki intermittent rain developed extending to Otago and to Auckland. Winds then backed to west or southwest and continued strong. Conditions remained unsettled in the west, and some snow fell on the southern ranges, but meanwhile to the east the weather was for the most part fair. Barometers were very low to the southeast. On the 10th winds moderated, but a southerly change advancing from the south brought rain to eastern areas which had previously escaped. Temperatures became cooler and further snow fell in \the mountains. A marked improvement occurred on the 11th.

From the 12th to the 17th many westerly disturbances passed with high winds blowing and rain falling continually in the West. More definite southwesterly changes gave showers in eastern areas also. Exceptional rain in Southland resulted in serious flooding in Invercargill on the 14th. The high pressure system to the north on the 18ih spread over the whole country on the following day, the weather being fine and mild generally, but northerly winds were still strong about Cook Strait. On the 20th the anti-cyclonic centre moved to the northeast, where it remained for several days. Apart from rain in the southwest, fair conditions prevailed until the 23rd when rain commenced in Taranaki. Floods and Slips One of the centres of the approaching disturbance developed into a small but active cyclone, which produced general rain over the North Island as well as Nelson and Marlborough. Heavy falls in the King Country and Taranaki were followed by severe floods and slips, while the dry spell was broken in Poverty Bay. The weather improved following the rapid passage of the cyclone, but by the 26th the situation had reverted to the westerly type with vigorous depressions crossing New Zealand, the rain being confined mainly to Otago and Westland. Strong northerly to westerly winds prevailed and many gales were experienced on the 27th and 28th. Showery weather continued south of Taranaki and heavy falls occurred in the Southern Alps. At the close of the month mist and fog were widespread.