✨ Meteorological Observations
18
RESULTS OF METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS
DEDUCED FROM DAILY REGISTERS KEPT AT THE Government Stations in Christchurch, Hokitika, and Bealey, for DECEMBER, 1868.
| CHRISTCHURCH STATION. | HOKITIKA STATION.* | BEALEY STATION.† |
|---|---|---|
| Latitude - 43° 32’ 16” S. | 42° 41’ 30” S. | 43° 2’ S. |
| Longitude - 172° 38’ 59” E. | 170° 59’ E. | 171° 37’ E. |
| Height above Sea - 21 feet. | 8 feet. | 2,104 feet. |
| Distance from Sea - 5 miles. | ½ mile. | 38 miles (West Coast). |
| Barometer (corrected and reduced to 32 deg. F.) | CHRISTCHURCH. | HOKITIKA. | BEALEY. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 29·614 | 29·805 | 27·50 |
| Highest in Month (20th) | 30·287 | 30·389 | 27·99 |
| Lowest in Month (7th) | 29·098 | 29·217 | 26·91 |
| Thermometers. | CHRISTCHURCH. | HOKITIKA. | BEALEY. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean Temperature of Atmosphere | 60·3 | 53·6 | 49·1 |
| Mean of Highest Daily Temperature | 70·6 | 58·6 | 56·2 |
| Mean of Lowest Daily Temperature | 50·2 | 48·7 | 42·1 |
| Highest in Month (19th) | 82·7 | 62·8 | 71·4 |
| Lowest in Month (12th) | 39·0 | 41·8 | 31·4 |
| Mean Daily Range | 20·5 | 9·9 | 14·1 |
| Self-registering Thermometers. | CHRISTCHURCH. | HOKITIKA. | BEALEY. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum in Sun. Mean | 135·7 | 75·9 | 116·6 |
| Highest in Month (11th) | 158·5 | 84·5 | 139·6 |
| Minimum on Grass. Mean | 37·3 | — | 32·9 |
| Lowest (12th) | 23·6 | — | 20·4 |
| Hygrometer (deductions). | CHRISTCHURCH. | HOKITIKA. | BEALEY. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean Temperature of Evaporation | 54·1 | — | 45·9 |
| Mean Temperature of Dew Point | 48·7 | — | 42·5 |
| Mean Tension of Vapour | 0·344 in. | — | 0·272 in. |
| Mean Humidity (saturation = 100) | 65 | — | 77 |
| Mean Weight of a Cubic Foot of Air | 526·8 grains | — | 500·4 grains |
| Mean Weight of Vapour in a Cubic Foot of Air | 3·8 „ | — | 3·1 „ |
| Mean Weight required to saturate a Cubic Foot of Air | 2·1 „ | — | 0·9 „ |
| Rain. | CHRISTCHURCH. | HOKITIKA. | BEALEY. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total amount collected, in Inches | 0·904 | 14·63 | 22·267 |
| Greatest Fall in one Day (2nd) | 0·374 | (9th) 1·39 | (18th) 3·750 |
| Number of Days it fell | 11 | 24 | 25 |
| Wind. | CHRISTCHURCH. | HOKITIKA. | BEALEY. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean Velocity in Miles per Day | 225 | 223 | 180 |
| Greatest Velocity in Miles per Day (1st) | 418 | (2nd) 412 | (27th) 500 |
| Cloud. | CHRISTCHURCH. | HOKITIKA. | BEALEY. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean Amount (0 = clear, 10 = overcast) | 4·7 | 6·2 | 5·9 |
- Observer at Hokitika, JAMES ROCHFORT, Esq., County Engineer.
† Observer at Bealey, JOHN M. MUNCE, Esq., Telegraph Manager.
REMARKS.
CHRISTCHURCH.—The past month was chiefly observable by the prevalence and strength of the north-west winds. They continued without intermission from the 6th to mid-day of the 9th, and from the 26th to the 29th inclusive, blowing occasionally also during the remainder of the month. The amount of humidity in the air was in consequence very small. In one previous month only since the commencement of 1864 has the atmosphere been so dry, viz., in November 1867, when the mean humidity for the month was the same as during the past month, viz., 65, (saturation=100). On the November alluded to, for nine days, at 9.30 a.m., the wind blew from north-west, as against ten days last month. The mean heat in the shade was 56 deg. 8 min., as against 60 deg. 3 min., and the mean velocity of the wind in miles per day 215, as against 225 last month. A shock of earthquake is reported as having been felt in Lyttelton on the 20th.
BEALEY.—At this station the wind blew from the north-west every day during the month, with the exception of the 9th and 10th. An exceedingly heavy rainfall was the result, the total amounting to upwards of 22 inches. Thunderstorms occurred on the 7th, 8th, 26th, and 29th. Snow fell on the 22nd.
HOKITIKA.—A large, though not unusual, amount of rain fell also at Hokitika, the depth of the fall being upwards of 14 inches. The wind was blowing from the north-west at 9.30 a.m. for 10 days. The first nine days were unsettled; heavy squalls, with hail, being experienced on the 1st, 6th, 8th, and 9th; the remainder of the month was as a rule fine.
R. MAINWARING, Observer, Christchurch.
January 29, 1869.
CHRISTCHURCH :
Printed, under the authority of the Provincial Government of the Province of Canterbury, at the Press Office, Cashel-street, by JOHN STEELE GUTERIE, Official Printer for the time being to the said Government.
Canterbury Provincial Gazette 1869, No 4
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
🎓 Meteorological Observations for December 1868
🎓 Education, Culture & Science29 January 1869
Meteorology, Weather, Temperature, Rainfall, Wind, Christchurch, Hokitika, Bealey
- James Rochfort (Esquire), Observer at Hokitika
- John M. Munce (Esquire), Observer at Bealey
- R. Mainwaring, Observer at Christchurch
- R. Mainwaring, Observer, Christchurch