WEATHER RECORDS: FEBRUARY, 1937.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 54, Issue 3, 20 March 1937, Page 191

WEATHER RECORDS: FEBRUARY, 1937.

'» Dominion Meteorological Office.Notes for February. Though there were no very violent storms, the weather during February was unsettled and very cold , for the time of year. The total rain was much below normal in the northern and eastern portions of the North Island, but there was sufficient in most places to keep the soil moist. In Hawke’s Bay and the Gisborne district, however, the westerly winds accentuated the rainfall failure, and dry conditions prevailed. Stock are generally in good condition, but have done rather better in the areas where the rainfall was low than elsewhere. It was too cold for animals really to thrive well, and in much of the South Island the softness of the feed has led to various digestive troubles and considerable losses of lambs. The milkyield is being well maintained. In Taranaki and the Manawatu the heavy rains were confined, principally, to a few days towards the end of the month, but in the South Island they began earlier and produced adverse conditions for harvesting, which has been delayed somewhat. In parts of Canterbury there are signs of sprouting of wheat in some of the crops. Several frosts were experienced, and these, combined with the general lack of warmth, were unfavourable to many small crops. Tomatoes, in particular,' have suffered considerably. There is still an abundance of pasture, and supplies of winter feed are assured for most districts. Rainfall. — In Taranaki, western Wellington, and the whole of the South Island with the exception of a portion of North Canterbury, the month was a very wet one indeed. Most of Taranaki and Nelson had between two and three times the normal rainfall, while in parts of Otago and Southland even greater departures were experienced. Hawke’s Bay and much the . greater part of the Auckland Province had very low totals. In the Wairarapa conditions were more varied, but the departures from average generally small. . Temperatures. — The month was one of the coldest Februaries as yet experienced. Mean temperatures were everywhere much below normal, the departures increasing from about 2 degrees in the far North to about 4 at Wellington and over most of the South Island. Sunshine. -At most places there was less sunshine than usual, though where the rainfall was below average the sunshine differed • little therefrom. Tauranga had 220-1 hours and Napier and Lake Tekapo each 218-8. Pressure Systems.— The month began with a fine spell while an . anticyclone passed slowly eastwards across the country. From the 6th to the Bth there came a series of westerly depressions, the effects of which were felt mainly in the South Island, heavy rain falling in western and southern districts. After a very brief interval a fresh and a very long series began to pass. As the first 'of these depressions, a rather intense one, approached on.' the 10th, north-westerly gales occurred in. the middle portion of the Dominion. By the nth winds had changed to west or south-west, and from that date until the 18th the winds from these directions continued toe prevail, and were frequently strong. . General rains occurred, with heavy falls over the South Island and about Wellington. From the 10th to The 14th the atmosphere was particularly unstable, and thunder and hailstorms were very numerous. Snow fell on the ranges, and there were a number of frosts during the period. / A fine spell followed, and the anticyclone previously mentioned finally moved eastward across the Tasman Sea and the Dominion. On the 23rd, however, another unsettled spell commenced. Again there was general rain, with very heavy falls from Taranaki southwards. Flooding occurred in Taranaki, western Wellington, the Waimakariri River, and in Otago and Southland.

Station. Total Fall. Number of Wet Days. Maximum 1 Fall. .Average February . Fall. Total Rainfall to Date. Average Rainfall to Date. North Island. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. Kaitaia . . 4-00 14 I -06 3'5° 12-47 7’44 Russell . . . . 0-84 4 0-41 4'24 17-94 8-33 Whangarei . . . . 1 • 65 10 . 0-54 3-87 12-29 7-80 Auckland . . . . 1-05 9 0-38 3'57 • 5-46 6-54 Hamilton . . .. 1-82 10 0’49 2-91 . 7-10 6-48 Rotorua .. 1-89 .12 0-62 3-84 8-50 7’95 Kawhia . . . . A2-86C 6-41 New Plymouth ;11-24 14 4-64 3'94 15-48 8-12 Riversdale, Inglewood . . 17-01 15 5’53 6-03 24-98 13-54 Whangamomona . . . 10-82 8 . 4'92 3-89 16 • 02 9’47. Hawera . .. .. 7- 12 • 12 2-40 • 40 10-20 5-91 Tairua .. .. 0-96 9 0-17 4-68 7’24 ' 8-34 Tauranga . . . . . I • 20 ■ 11 .. 0-41 3-78 6-58 ■ 7-81 Maraehako Station, Opo-I-15 .11 II 0-30 - °'3° ’ .4-14 4-14 11-58 II-58 7’73 7’73 tiki Gisborne ... o-73 6 • 0-37 , • 46 5-88 6-18 Taupo . . . . 1 • 28 9 . 0 • 50 3’74 .5-9° 6- it Napier ■ ■ . . . . . 0-72 5 o-39 ■ 2-46 ' 5’41 4-96 Hastings o- II 5 0-04 2-25 3-12 - 4 • 18 Whakarara Station 0-91 • 7 0-20 7-2.0 Taihape ' .. 2-35 - 10 0-41 2-43 6-56 5'59 Masterton ' . . 2-76 13 0-87 2-78 6-90 5-34 tea . . . - 6-83 11 ■ 86 2-40 10-90 5’99 Wanganui . . . . 5-23 9 i-35 2-42 8-46 5 25 Foxton .. 3-78 . 9 1-05 2-07 6-02 4-21 Wellington . . 4-22 -11 o-99 '75 7-40 5-64 South Island. Westport 10-72 17 -67 .5’35 19-65 13-55 Greymouth . . . . 11 - oo 18 2-10 6-21 26-30 15-38 Hokitika . . 13-84 16 3'4 2 . 7-22 28 • 20 17-32 Ross . . 14 • 16 16 4’°5 8 • 90 • 34-65 21-30 Arthur’s Pass . . 18-86 15 7-°3 9.90 39-u 24-02 Okuru, South Westland io- 19 9 3’5° • 66 24-71 22-25 Collingwood . . . . 10-90 11 2-89 5-13 20-33 II-7I Nelson ... . . 5'43 11 2-83 . 2-63 7'52 5’53 Spring Creek, Blenheim 3-38 IO -20 2 • 18 7-°3 4-40 Seddon . . 2-10 8 O-72 . i-8 5 5-69 3-69 Hanmer Springs 2'53 13 0-65 • 3’26 4’57 ■ 7-21 Highfield, Waiau 1’49 10 o-45 2-60 2-58 5-58 Gore Bay ' ... . . 2-26 12 0-76 2-80 3-56 5’26 Christchurch . . 2-19 16 0-76 1-56 4-27 .3-89 Timaru . . . . 2 • 48 13 0-85 1-79 6-18 4-18 Lambrook Station, Fairlie 2 • 80 11 0 • 70 i-8i 6-28 4-24 Benmore Station, Clear-2-73 II o-6i 1-62 ■ 8-23 4‘39 burn Oamaru . . . 2-13 ■ 12 0-78 1’79 4'4° 3-83 Queenstown . . 3-78 . 12 : i-39 i-97 7-64 4-84 Clyde : • 68 IO 1 • 26 1 -06 4-28 2-91 Dunedin . . . . •7-15 16 2-02 . 2-71 . 10-46 6- 12 Wendon . . . . 7-56 20 2-09 2-26 12-46 5-46 Balclutha 6-78 19 I.-84 1'99 9-13 4-30 Invercargill . . : 5-88 21 i-35’ 3-18 10-26 . ■ 7-18 Puysegur Point 12-68 21 ■ 2-50 5’74 20-57 13-36 Half-moon Bay ■ 5-54 18 0-69 4-08 12-75 8-90

Rainfalls for February, 1937, at Representative Stations