WEATHER RECORDS: MARCH, 1932.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 44, Issue 4, 20 April 1932, Page 302

WEATHER RECORDS: MARCH, 1932.

Dominion Meteorological Office

March was remarkable for the very dry weather experienced over the greater part of the Dominion, and for the prevalence of southerly or southeasterly winds. Though temperatures were on the average rather below normal, the coolness was mitigated by a comparative absence of wind. Many days were beautifully warm.

Rainfall.— Several heavy rains were experienced in the Auckland Peninsula, especially the northern portion. The totals for the month exceeded the average in all parts, but in the far North were more than double. The districts east of the main range from Hawke’s Bay to East Cape also had a continuance of the wet conditions prevailing in February, and the total falls were considerably above the average. The only other area which recorded more than the normal for March was that about Dunedin. In the remainder of the country the rainfall was generally much below average. In the southern half of Taranaki, and in the Wellington, Marlborough, and Canterbury Provinces, very light falls were recorded. For example, Eltham had only 0-07 in., Foxton o-6i, Wellington 0-35, Spring Creek, Blenheim, 0-24, and Christchurch 0-48 in.

Temperature.— Though, as would be expected with southerly winds prevailing, most places had temperatures rather below the average for March, this was by no means invariably the case. In some localities, especially those protected from the direct effect of south-easterly winds, a warm month was experienced.

Sunshine. Conditions varied somewhat, but at the majority of places there was less sunshine than normal.

Winds. — There were strong south-easterly to north-easterly winds about Cook Strait and over the North Island between the 6th and the 10th, some rather heavy gales being reported from the North, but, on the whole, winds were unusually light during the month.

Weather Systems. -The outstanding feature of the weather charts during the month was the prevalence of anticyclones over New Zealand. This was particularly noticeable at the beginning and the end of the month. Generally, the centre of high pressure was in the South, and this accounted for the frequency of south-easterly winds. The usual westerly depressions were few in number and very poorly developed.

From the 6th to the 9th, while pressure was very high to the south and south-east, a depression moved from far to the north of New Zealand in a south-south-easterly direction, past Chatham Islands. Heavy rains occurred in North Auckland and between Hawke’s Bay and East Cape, many rivers being flooded..

Rains were caused in parts of the same districts between the 18th and 20th under rather similar conditions, pressure being high to the south and relatively low to the north.

Following this a cyclone gradually developed in the North Tasman Sea, while pressure remained very high to the east of New Zealand. The cyclone crossed the southern portion of the South Island on the 23rd, and northerly gales were experienced in some places. This storm was the only one during the month which produced anything approaching general rains, but on this occasion there were few localities which recorded no rain, and heavy falls occurred in most. The heaviest were in the northern and north-eastern portions of the North Island and the western and southern portions of the South Island. Some flooding again occurred.

Noxious Weeds Order.— Hawera County Council has declared gorse and Cape daisy to be noxious weeds within the county.

No. Station. Total Fall. Number of Wet Days. Maximum Fall. Average March Rainfall. North Island Inches. Inches. Inches. I Kaitaia . . 5-50 . 7 2-79 2-94 2 Russell . . . . 9-98 8 2-25 2-77 3 Whangarei 9-23 9 2-94 4'23 4 Auckland 3-68 8 1 -98 3-01 5 Hamilton . . 1-97 5 1-43 3'81 6 Rotorua 2-78 6 1-56 3'5i 7 Kawhia . . 1 -08 4 0-49 3'5i 8 New Plymouth . . 2- II 5 1 -29 3-75 9 Riversdale, Inglewood 3-09 ■ 5 2 • 70 7-12 IO Whangamomona . . 2-58 3 1-30 5-07 ii Eltham . . 0-07 1 0-07 4'°5 12 Tairua . . 6 • 56 10 2-22 5-13 13 Tauranga 3'«7 8 2-59 3-98 14 Maraehako Station, Opotiki 3-27 11 1-94 4-00 15 Gisborne .. 5-4 15 2-51 4-40 16 Taupo .. ... 1 • 67 5 0 • 88 3 ■ 19 17 Napier . . 4 • 80 12 1-77 3-16 18 Hastings 2-29 16 0-79 2-78 19 Taihape . . . . 0-51 5 0-28 2 • 69 20 Masterton o-57 9 0 ■ 19 2-86 21 Patea 0-32 3 0-15 3-46 22 Wanganui 0-52 2 0 • 50 2-52 23 . Foxton . . 0 • 61 5 0 • 20 2-05 24 Wellington o-35 5 0 • 18 3 '11 South Island. 25 Westport 5-33 . 11 • 00 7'50 26 Greymouth ' . . 2-58 5I -28 8-91 27 Hokitika 3-99 6 2-38 9-74 28 Ross ... . . ■ 4-01 5 1-44 11-03 29 Arthur’s Pass 2-17 3 1-27 11-38 30 Okuru 2-59 6 1 • 18 14-70 31 Collingwood 3-12 4 1 46 5-97 32 Nelson . . 0 • 76 4 0-24 2-96 33 Spring Creek 0-24 2 0-23 2-05 35 Hanmer Springs .. 0-84 5 . 0-38 3-28 36 Highfield, Waiau . . ; o-6i 5 0-30 2-89 37 Gore Bay o-57 4 0-25 2-23 38 Christchurch 0-48 9 0-22 I -98 39 Timaru . . 0-96 10 0-30 2-24 40 Lambrook Station, Fairlie .. 2-38 4 Benmore Station, Clearburn 0 • 69 2 , o-57 • 78 42 Oamaru . . .. 0-70 5 o-55 i-80 43 Queenstown 0 • 72 2 0-64 2-64 44 Clyde 1-03 2 0-99 1-50 45 Dunedin 3-04 9 2-24 2-94 46 Wendon 2-97 6 2-22 -73 47 Gore 3-25 48 Invercargill 3-25 10 i -8o 00 3'89 M 3-89 49 Puysegur Point 3-88 12 1 • 14 8-20 50 Half-moon Bay 2-87 11 0 • 92 5-5

RAINFALL FOR MARCH, 1932, AT REPRESENTATIVE STATIONS