WEATHER RECORDS : FEBRUARY, 1930.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XL, Issue 3, 20 March 1930, Page 211

WEATHER RECORDS : FEBRUARY, 1930.

Dominion Meteorological Office.

GENERAL .NOTES

In contrast to the preceding month, February was very dry over the greater part of the Dominion. The whole of the South Island, with the exception of Puysegur Point, had a low rainfall, the deficiency being greatest in the North Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, and Westland Districts. Most of the North Island also experienced less than the average, but a considerable excess was recorded in the east coast portion from Poverty Bay northwards and throughout the Auckland Peninsula. This, effect was brought about by a predominance of south-easterly winds which were associated with cyclones passing to the north of the Dominion.

Even in those districts where rain was scanty the growth of grass was well maintained throughout. The effect of the lack of rain was small, owing to the heavy falls in previous months, to the absence of drying winds,and to the cool and somewhat changeable weather which prevailed. Conditions were, indeed, at times, more of a spring than a summer type.

On the whole the month was favourable to all classes of stock. Dairy herds have milked well, and sheep and lambs have thriven in most districts. Reports indicate good crop yields, but the absence of warm sunshine has caused harvesting to be much later than usual. In many districts root crops have done remarkably well, the weather having been most favourable to this class of crop.

The mean temperature was again markedly below normal, for although there were many warm days the nights were invariably cool.

' The pressure systems responsible for periods of unsettled weather were mainly cyclonic in form. The Auckland, Bay of Plenty, and Poverty Bay districts experienced considerable rainfall between the Ist and the sth, while a cyclone was located to the north-east of Cape Maria van Diemen. This disturbance passed rapidly away on the night of the sth, and from then on to the 13th the dominating influence was' a slow-moving, fairly intense anticyclone. Except in the areas and during the period mentioned, fine weather of unusual brilliance was experienced over the Dominion until the 13th. ;

Only two depressions of the westerly type were recorded during the month, one on the 16th and the other on the night of the 23rd. The former followed . closely on a cyclone which had moved gradually across the northern Tasman Sea and crossed the North Island during the night of the 15th. Heavy rain was associated with this cyclone in the North Island on the 13th, 14th, and 15th, more especially in the northern and east coast portions, where some flooding occurred at places. The observer at Maraehako Station, in the Bay of Plenty, measured n in. of rain on the 15th.

A second very fine spell set in on the 25th and continued to the close of the month. At this time there was evidence of an intense tropical cyclone operating to the north-east of New Zealand. It was too far away to have any general unfavourable effect on the Dominion’s weather, but some scattered rain fell in the Auckland and East Cape districts, and on the afternoon of the 28th a severe thunderstorm occurred in the neighbourhood of Taumarunui. A house at Te Koura suffered considerable damage by .lightning, the veranda collapsing and the front of the house being scorched.

—Edward Kidson, Director of Meteorological Services, Wellington, 6th March, 193°-

Minor Crops. — Among other minor crops grown in the 1928-29 season were the following, the figures being total areas for the Dominion : Artichokes (for stock), 210 acres; kumeras, 195 acres ; pumpkin's and marrows (for stock), 921 acres ; osiers, 40 acres ; chicory, 54 acres ; carrots and parsnips (for stock), 1,013 acres ; onions, 880 acres; hops, 608 acres; tobacco, 1,000 acres.

Statistics

'Jo. Station. Total Fall. Number of Wet Days. Maximum Fall. 1 Average February Rainfall. North Island. Inches. Inches. 1 Inches. I ■ North Island.. I Inches. Kaitaia . . .. • • 6-46 6-46 7 Inches. 7 5'04 Inches. 5’04 2-95 2’95 2 Russell . . ■ .. 6’32 7 2-28 3'20 3 Whangarei . . 6'20 9 i 2-32 4-46 4 Auckland . . 6-66 11 3-28 3-06 5 Hamilton 2'47 9 0-98 2-96 5 A Rotorua . . 2-27 9 , o-95 3-85 6 Kawhia . . ■ ... ■ • 4-38 11 1-23 2-66 7 New Plymouth . . 2’99 9 o-95 4-00 8 Riversdale, Inglewood 5A6 9 1-46 6-30 9 Whangamomona . . 4’34 10 o-88 4’23 IO Eltham . . . . 1-89 7 0-64 3‘37 ii Tairua . . . . - 11-36 10 4-60 4-10 12 Tauranga 6-77 12 3-69 3-58 13 Maraehako Station, Opotiki 16-48 .12 11'00 3-48 14 Gisborne . . 5’92 12 . 2-65 3-63 15 Taupo . . . . •• 2-13 5 0-85 2-82 16 Napier . . . . . . 1-40 7 0-50 ■ 2-92 17 Maraekakaho Stn., Hastings 1-3° 10 0-41 2-52 18 Taihape . . . . 1-07 9 0-29 2-52 19 Masterton 1-78 7 0'74 2-70 20 Patea 08 5 0-38 2-51 21 Wanganui 0-84 3 0-40 2-52 22 Foxton . . ... i-i5 8 0-64 2-06 23 Wellington (Karori) 1-78 ■ 5 1-48 3-07 South Island. 24 Westport . . ' . . South Islam 1.02 I. 3 o’60 5’35 25 Greymouth 3’30 7 1-70 5-99 26 Hokitika 3-28 10 1-79 7’31 27 Ross .." . ■ ... 4'72 6 i-54 8-45 28 Arthur’s Pass 389 5 . 2-23 ; 10-17 29 Okuru, South Westland 7’47 7 ’ 5'72 . 7-92 30 Collingwood . . ■ . 1-26 7 ' 0-52 5-63 31 Nelson . . ... 0-62 1 0-62 2’77 32 Spring Creek, Blenheim 0-78 2 o-75 2-25 33 Tophouse .... o-54 2 0-38 4’39 34 Hanmer Springs . . 1-65 8 0-52 3-04 35 Highfield, Waiau . . 1-64 ’ 5 o-6o 2’54 36 Gore Bay 1-22 ' 4 0-79 2'93 37 Christchurch 0'75 6 0-50 i-77 38 Timaru . . 1-72 7 1-36 1-82 39 Lambrook Station, Fairlie . . o-94 4 0-76 1-89 4° Benmore Station, Clearburn 0-56 . 4 0-26 1-36 4 1 Oamaru . . ... . . 1-09 7 o-68 i-68 42 Queenstown 1-20 4 j 0-59 1-98 43 Clyde .. . . o-73 2 I 0-51 o-99 44 Dunedin. . i-66 9 1 1-40 2-69 45 Wendon ■ ' ... o-86 7 0-50 2-03 46 Gore i-45 8 . 0'89 2-65 47 Invercargill .. 1-90 . 12 0-70 2-85 48 Puysegur Point 5’03 18 1-18 4-96 4-96 49 Half-moon Bay .. 2’04 9 0’52 i 4-i3 9 0-52 l 4'13 .1

RAILFALL FOR FEBRUARY, 1930, AT REPRESENTATIVE STATIONS.

Land District Interior Years for over, Two Old and for over, Other Cows Heifers Two Old over. One and Two Old. Steers Years Old and over. and OneBulls and Two Years Old. Calves One •Year Old. Total Beef Purposes. Dairy Purposes. Milk. Dry. Heifer. Steer. North Auckland 1,030 882 7 218 16,076 42,132 61,336 37,850 18,356 71,208 23,108 487,196 Auckland 1,591 12,951 377,607 14,695 63 98,381 59,389 19,615 1*5,475 25,198 788,564 Gisborne 3,095 ,248 33,009 3,940 105,014 33,424 38,492 25,033 40,961 32,504 316,720 Hawke’s Bay 602 , 1,713 46,916 4,702 50,907 23,533 32,662 12,579 741 16,478 217,833 Taranaki . 594 7,578 199,439 8,207 25,501 44,387 17,198 6 54,895 8,713 373,152 Wellington 3,945 7,128 185 12,911 129,084 67, 002 35,220 81040 42,131 655,609 Nelson 126 ,200 606 ,25 2,136 6,495 7,534 5,135 2,759 8,319 3,951 63261 Marlborough . 235 672 14,750 1,386 6,719 4,776 4H36 2,499 5,739 942 43,854 Westland 166 497 H,59I i,343 6,450 4,709 5,340 2,602 5,290 3,201 41 Canterbury . 383 2,675 746 4,605 15,156 19,213 16,061 7,473 22,131 10,281 168724 Otago 329 2,106 466 4,621 11,504 15,381 13,552 6,816 16,073 8 128,664 Southland .. 340 3,ooi 67,876 5,237 14,916 19,772 10,958 8,749 20,639 9,536 161024 Dominion, 13,436 48,651 1,291,204 79,859 477,540 399,614 331,775 148,341 468,511 186,859 3,445,790 Totals, Dominion, 11,710 47,624 1,242,729 109,669 451,189 362,624 369,553 128,918 405,671 144,082 3,273,769

CLASSIFICATION OF CATTLE IN NEW ZEALAND AT 31st JANUARY, 1929.