WEATHER RECORDS: NOVEMBER, 1936.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 53, Issue 6, 21 December 1936, Page 383

WEATHER RECORDS: NOVEMBER, 1936.

Dominion Meteorological Office.

Notes for November. November proved a dull, wet, and changeable month, and consequently from the point of view of the public comfort it was an extremely disappointing one. Although there were several brief periods of cold'southerly conditions, particularly on the Bth and 9th and during the last three days,, northerly winds predominated and temperatures were, on the whole, on the mild side. . As a result, there has been a wonderful growth of grass and vegetation generally, and stock are in splendid condition. The lack of sunshine, however, has kept the grass soft, and in some districts lambs have not fattened well. Frequent rainfall caused interruption in shearing, and also a certain amount of mortality amongst shorn sheep. Generally, however, the month was a favourable one for the farmer. Rainfall.-^ total rainfall was above the average over the greater part of the Dominion, only a small portion of the coastal area in the South'Taranaki Bight and Greymouth reporting a deficit. The greatest excess occurred in the Auckland Province, where some places experienced more than double the' usual amount. Russell had 11-32 in. against an average of 2-22 in., and Whangarei 10-iiin., the average being 2-81 in. Some large excesses occurred also, in Canterbury. ■ Temperatures.— ln spite of an excess of rain, temperatures were nearly everywhere above normal. The departure in most cases was only a fraction of a degree, but in the southern half of the North Island several places registered over 2 0 F., and New Plymouth as much as 3 0 F. Frosts occurred on only a few occasions, but some places experienced rather sharp ones on the mornings of the 15th and 16th. Some damage was caused to plants on the 15th in Hawke’s Bay. Sunshine. —-Sunshine was nearly everywhere below normal, the only one of the recording stations having an excess being Tauranga, where 215 hours were registered. Napier had 228-9, Blenheim 209-9, and Masterton' 205-4 hours. Pressure Systems. —The first two days of November were fine under the influence of an anticyclone. The only other anticyclone which brought fine weather over the Dominion as a whole was one which crossed between the 15th and 17th, the remainder usually passing too far north to. benefit New Zealand. Between the 2nd and sth a cyclone : moved across northern New Zealand in conjunction with a deep westerly depression passing in the south. The former was responsible for heavy rain and some flooding in North Auckland, while the latter caused a strong north-west gale in Canterbury during the night of the 3rd. On the Bth, associated with a cyclone centred west of the Auckland Peninsula, strong south-easterly or easterly winds blew in, the central provinces. Conditions were particularly boisterous in the Cook Strait area. Severe, thunderstorms, accompanied by very heavy rains, occurred in Taranaki and the central parts of the North Island. . A series of depressions of the westerly type crossed the Dominion between the nth and 14th and the 17th and 23rd, and, owing to the prevalence of north-westerly winds, rain during these two periods was confined chiefly to districts with a westerly aspect. ■ From the 24th to the close of the month a succession of cyclones passed from the northward over New Zealand, and widespread rain fell on most days in this period. On the 25th the central districts experienced a heavy north-west gale, a gust up to seventy-six miles per hour occurring on this day at the Kelburn Observatory, Wellington. A temporary improvement took place on the 26th, but on the last three days cold southerly winds and dull, misty, wet weather prevailed generally. The last of this series of cyclones was centred between Cook Strait and Chatham Island on the 30th.

Station. Total Fall. . Number of Wet Days. Maximum Fall. Average October Fall. Total Rainfall to Date. Average Rainfall to Date. North Island. - Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches, Kaitaia ... 8-48 13 2-25 2-75 56-94 51-68 - Russell .. 11-32 II ‘ 4-25 2 • 22 92-30 47’39 Whangarei . . IO- II 15 3-12 2-81 68-54 57-52 * Auckland . . 3’19 17 o- 61 . 3'59 48-91 46-17 Hamilton ... ,. 5-9i 14 2-55 4 • 01 50-58 ■ 46-04 Rotorua 8 • 00 14 3-29 . 4 ■ 18 61 • 67 51-25 Kawhia ... y 6 9 12 i-35 4-52 55-87 50-42 . New Plymouth . . 7-85 16 2-02 4-70 58-51 55-49 Riversdale, Inglewood . . 11-3° 18 3-32 9 • 12 93-65 96 - 69 Whangamomona 5-38 13 2-16 7'39 64-82 71-92 ' Hawera ■.. * 5-62 13 1-50 3-78 43-66 41-96 Tairua 11-89 13 5-10 3-63 56-87 60 07 Tauranga .. . . 6-03 15 i-37 3’29 54-14 . 48-81 Maraehako Station, Opo-9-02 18 i-55 3-16 65-85 50-45 tiki Gisborne .. ... 4-07 12 i-94 2-88 41-41 42-83 Taupo . . 4'53 14 1-19 3-32 46-73 4°-75 * Napier . .. 3-n II 0-98 2-02 44-84 28-14 Hastings .. 1-91 12 0-62 • 82 38-11 29-98-Whakarara Station 4-20 IO 0-84 5i-8i Taihape ' . . . . 4 • 08 l6 0-83 3-4° 41-64 33-46 Masterton . . 3’35 12 o-75 2-69 44-51 35-47 Patea .. . ' . I 3-9i 17 0-72 - 4-01 45-71 41-29 Wanganui .. . . i-88 IO 0-30 3-24 36-05 33-42 Foxton .. .. • 90 13 0-58 3-20 37’33 29-87 • Wellington . . ... 6-09 16 0-92 2-99 52-37 39-37

RAINFALLS FOR NOVEMBER, 1936, AT REPRESENTATIVE . STATIONS

Westport 8 • 91 18 • 28 8-85 81 -45 88-35 Grey mouth .. ... 8-87 20 1 • 78 9-10 86-49 92-90 Hokitika .. 13-90 22 3-20 . 10-45 100-54 104-57 Ross .. .. 17-07 22 4-28 13-86 123-46 123-44 Arthurs Pass . . . .. 16-32 21 . -98 16-11 I34-58 147 • 80 Okuru, South Westland 19-59 .19 3-35 12 • 60 150-00 I33-5O Collingwood .. 9-59 16 • 46 6-90 89-93 . 89-19 Nelson ... . . 4-83 15 o-79 2-92 40-47 34'86 Spring Creek, Blenheim 3-03 -i6>. 0-78 2-39 34' 06 28-18 Seddon ... 2-48 12 o-57 1-85 26-91 22 • 84 Hanmer Springs . . 8-25 15 2-35 3-46 56-75 41-29 Highfield, Waiau ■ .. ’ 7'45 11 » 2-41. . -52' 40-20 30-64 Gore Bay . . .. 3-84 9 1-23 2-12 34- 08 28 • 70 Christchurch .. 4 • 80 13 ■;/i • 80 •*- 1-78 ■33'44 22-67 Timaru . . 4-36 13 . 1-70 i-95 27-93 20-26 Lambrook Station, Fairlie 4-89 10 1-23 i-93 27-28 22 • 30 Benmore Station, Clear-5-73 .\ 16 1-71 2-05 25-95 . 22-30 burn Oamaru 2-09 9 1 -40 1 -92 22-57 19-76 Queenstown . . .. 2 ■ 72 18 0-64 2-71 34'4° 27-99 Clyde .. .. i-35 8 0-52 i-34 13-26 13-46 Dunedin .. .. 5-07 14 2 • id 3-2i 42 • 28 33-i8 Wendon .. 3-63 14 0-70 2 • 72 . 29-43 27-14 Balclutha 3-73 19 1-38 2-48 33-07 23-06 Invercargill .. .. 4'94 .25. 1 • 10 . 4 • 28 44-59 41-65 Puysegur Point .. 16-61 20 3-09 8-25 ■ 104-43 78-09 Half-moon Bay 8-22 19 2-34 5-79 . 58-83 53-89

South Island.