Dominion Weather Forecasts

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 71, Issue 2, 15 August 1945, Page 126

Dominion Weather Forecasts

* I ’HE censorship restrictions on the 1 broadcasting of weather forecasts have been lifted and the Meteorological Office is again “on the air” from YA stations.

Three forecasts are being issued each day. The first, at 7.4 a.m., is for “today” only, covering the period up to midnight. The one at 12.29 p.m. is prepared with the farming community specially in mind, and covers conditions up to midnight the following night. This time was selected so that any action necessary to meet the following day’s weather can be taken that afternoon. The third forecast, at 9.1 p.m., is for the same perioddip to midnight next nightbut is prepared on later information. It includes a brief “further, outlook” which gives a guide as to how the changing situation is likely to affect the weather “the day after tomorrow.”

Each forecast consists of a number of sections covering the whole Dominion, and to enable farmers to pay special attention to those districts in which they are interested the names of the various areas precede the relevant sections of the forecast.

The areas, which are shown on the map reproduced here, have been determined from meteorological considerations, and weather conditions are normally much the same throughout each. Their boundaries therefore Usually run along mountain ridges and by no means always coincide with recognised provincial, county, or other limits. However, as people are often interested in the weather in other parts of the country, it has been felt advisable to allot well-known names to these rather arbitrary meteorological districts. The result is as shown in the diagram and it is hoped that farmers will inspect it with a tolerant eye, remembering, if they object to being included in “Waitomo” or “North Westland-Buller,” that they are there by meteorological necessity and the fact has no political significance. The forecasts are not necessarily issued for each district individually, and it will often be possible to say “all districts - from Waitomo and Taupo northwards” or “in the South Island, east of the Alps,” but only well-known geographical names or those given here will be used.