THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
1449

ABSTRACT of METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, New Zealand, for the Month of JULY, 1878.

MONGONUI ... 29.869 1.212 54.9 16.2 68.0 34.0 30.0 122.0 ... .302 70 4.100 14 220 475, 14th 5.9
Previous 10 years ... 29.959 53.9

AUCKLAND ... 29.885 1.068 50.6 11.0 62.4 35.6 26.8 111.5 26.3 .354 81 6.074 20 297 554, 10th 6.3
Previous 14 years ... 29.865 52.3 .320 87 4.730 23 301 630, 29th 7.0

TARANAKI ... 29.839 1.149 49.1 14.1 62.0 32.0 30.0 104.0 ... .293 84 6.930 22 78 6.801 16
Previous 14 years ... 29.881 50.5

NAPIER ... 29.802 1.234 50.3 14.0 63.0 33.0 30.0 103.0 28.0 .280 78 4.170 13 233 420, 29th 3.0
Previous 11 years ... 29.834 49.9 .236 77 3.147 11

WELLINGTON ... 29.773 1.266 47.2 12.8 59.5 31.9 27.6 100.0 28.0 .277 86 6.110 20 179 535, 29th 5.1
Previous 14 years ... 29.861 47.9 .255 76 6.194 16

*WANGANUI ... 29.860 1.25.0 48.0 18.0 65.0 26.0 39.0 90.0 23.0 .245 73 4.120 20 252 698, 31st 5.0
Previous 6 years ... 29.955 46.7 .234 74 4.692 15

NELSON ... 29.723 1.161 45.5 18.3 59.0 30.0 29.0 94.0 ... .245 77 9.440 10 178 418, 15th 7.0
Previous 14 years ... 29.905 46.3 .253 77 5.192 9

CAPE CAMPBELL ... 29.870 1.130 48.7 9.0 61.0 38.0 23.0 ... .246 72 4.692 15 119 262, 15th 5.7
Previous 4 years ... 29.985 50.3 .237 74 3.070 9

CHRISTCHURCH ... 29.703 1.272 43.0 18.3 70.0 23.3 46.7 107.0 14.0 .206 74 1.130 9 119 262, 15th 5.7
Previous 14 years ... 29.859 42.7 .231 83 2.498 12 143 392, 3rd 7.1

*BEALEY ... 29.516 1.106 32.1 13.0 52.2 -2.0 54.2 83.0 ... .105 57 16.420 20
Previous 10 years ... 29.797 35.8 .186 89 7.734 14

HOKITIKA. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

DUNEDIN ... 29.560 1.191 42.6 13.7 60.0 30.0 30.0 80.0 22.0 .271 89 9.463 16 172 500, 10th 4.1
Previous 14 years ... 29.823 42.8 .186 69 410 8

QUEENSTOWN ... 29.613 1.220 38.5 14.5 58.2 25.2 33.0 ... .167 72 5.170 14 13 5.7

Previous 6 years ... 29.934 39.8 .189 78 1.947 9

SOUTHLAND ... 29.620 1.300 40.0 16.0 57.0 22.0 35.0 96.0 ... .207 84 3.620 20 192 379, 10th 7.0
Previous 13 years ... 29.789 42.0 .215 81 4.033 16

NOTE.—Altitude of Bealey, 2,104 feet; Queenstown, 1,070 feet. The stations marked thus * are furnished with aneroid barometers only.

NOTES FOR JULY, 1878.

Mongonui.—Fine weather, except towards end, when it was wet and stormy; maximum rain on 14th, 90 in.; thunder on 14th, 30th, and
31st; hail on 31st; prevailing wind, S.W. and N.W., and often strong.

Auckland.—Showery, but with fine intervals; maximum rain recorded on 23rd, 1.130 in.; wind chiefly from S.W. and W.; low barometer,
stormy on 9th and 10th from S.W., 14th and 15th N. veering to S.W., and 31st West, with thunder and hail at night; fog on 20th.

Taranaki.—Very stormy wet month, prevailing S.W. winds; hail on 30th and 31st, fog on 12th and 13th; maximum rain recorded on
9th, 70 in.

Napier.—Early part fine, from 9th weather unsettled, occasionally fine with clear frosty nights; maximum rainfall recorded on 13th, 1.20
in.; heavy rain on 9th lasting for few hours; prevailing westerly winds, and strong on 10th, 29th, and 30th.

Wellington.—Tolerably fine first two days; from 3rd to 6th showery from N.W., on 3rd strong wind, from 7th to 11th generally fine,
with changeable wind; stormy on 11th from N.W.; from 12th to 15th very wet unpleasant S.E. weather; 1.550 inches of rain
recorded on 15th, the maximum for the month; 16th to 21st fine but cold, S.E. and N.W. winds and light; from 22nd to end of
month showery, dull, cold weather, though at times fine and bright; stormy on 27th, 28th, and 29, from N.W.; during night of 29th
a severe thunderstorm, with vivid lightning, and showers of hail and rain; lightning was seen on the 9th without thunder; snow on
hills on 14th, 15th, 30th, and 31st; on the whole fair average weather was experienced for time of year.

Wanganui.—Showery unpleasant generally; intervals of fine; greatest rain recorded on 4th, 52 in.; prevailing N.W. winds; strong on
10th from S.E., and on 31st from N.W.; thunder on 30th and 31st; hail on 31st.

Nelson.—Generally fine but dull, with occasional heavy rains; the maximum recorded on 15th, 1.84 in.; variable winds; heavy storms
on 14th from N.E., and 15th S.E., with rain; hail on 31st.

Cape Campbell.—Very stormy from W. and N.W. up to 12th, when it changed to S.E. with rain; 1 inch rain recorded on 14th, maximum
for month; remainder of month cold, showery, and unpleasant; prevailing N.W. and W. winds, and frequently strong.

Christchurch.—Fine until 9th, when heavy thunderstorm occurred with hail, fine again from 10th to 13th, when rain came on, lasting to
next day; it then became fine, but very cold, hard continuous frost; on 16th and 17th portion of Lyttelton Harbour frozen over; on
28th and 29th warm N.W., flooding snow rivers, and doing damage; prevailing wind S.W.; snow on hills 14th and 31st; maximum
rain recorded on 14th, 53 in.

Bealey.—Wet, snowy, and intensely cold throughout; rain or snow on twenty days; snow alone on nine days; on 14th, at 9 p.m., snow
set in and continued to 16th, when 3 feet 6 inches lay on the ground, the heaviest snowstorm yet recorded; the greatest rain-
fall recorded on 28th, 3.750 in.; thunderstorms occurred on 3rd and 27th; hail on 29th; fog on six days; the hardest frosts for many
years; prevailing N.W. and S.W. winds.

Hokitika.—

Dunedin.—Dry but changeable in temperature; very cold, attended with heavy snow on 30th and 31st; fog on 24th; maximum rain
recorded on 2nd, 150 in.; prevailing S.W. wind, and strong on 7th and 9th.

Queenstown.—Excepting a few fine days in middle of month, the weather has been cold and wet; snow on nine days, very heavy from 28th
to 31st; foggy from 22nd to 26th; large rainfall, the maximum recorded on 28th, 1.43 in.; prevailing wind N.W. and moderate.

Southland.—A cold wet month, with much snow (six days) and hail (nine days); prevailing S.W. and W. winds, and frequently stormy;
maximum rain recorded on 8th, 183 in.

GENERAL REMARKS.?

Tolerably fine weather for time of year, though heavy rain at some of the stations, with strong gales, chiefly from westward; very
heavy snowstorms, with hail and severe frosts, occurred in the South. Earthquakes occurred on 5th at Wellington, at 10.18 p.m., slight;
at Foxton, 10.20 p.m., sharp, with loud noise; at Greytown, 10.17 p.m., smart, with noise; on 20th at Wellington, 11.39 p.m., very slight,
and at Wanganui at midnight, smart, and on 21st a lighter shock at 3 a.m.

J. HECTOR, Inspector.