✨ Meteorological Returns
1018
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 23
NEW ZEALAND METEOROLOGICAL RETURNS, FEBRUARY, 1908.
Government Meteorological Observatory.
METEOROLOGICAL Observations, Wellington, for the month of February, 1908. Observations taken at 9 a.m.
Altitude of new observatory, 110 ft.
| Barometer | Max. Temp. | Min. Temp. | Mean Temp. | Solar Radiation. | Rainfall. in points (100 to 1 inch). | Amount of Cloud. | Veloc. Wind. | Direction of Wind. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| reduced, in | in Shade. | in Shade. | in Shade. | in Miles | ||||
| Inches. | Fah. | Fah. | Fah. | |||||
- Means, &c. † Monthly means previous years.
NOTE.-A remarkably dry month—in fact, the driest on record. Barometric pressure, high and fairly steady. Bright sunshine, 235 hrs. 5 min.; though much was not accounted for, because of smoke haze from bush fires. Mean earth temperatures : 1 ft., 62·5°; 3 ft., 62·2°. Max., 1 ft., 64°; min., 61°. Max., 3 ft., 63°; min., 61°. Mean humidity, 71 per cent.; mean dew point, 52·5°; mean elastic force of vapour, 0·396 in. Max. temperature, 79° on 16th; min., 49° on 1st and 27th.
CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE.
MEANS AND TOTALS FROM THE CHIEF STATIONS.
February, 1908.
| Name of Station and Observer. | Altitude above Sea-level in Feet. | Absolute Mean Temp. Air in Shade. | Mean Max. Temp. | Mean Min. Temp. | Total Rainfall (100 Points to the Inch). | Days with Rain (1 Point or more). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUCKLAND T. F. Cheeseman | 125 | 67·5 | 74·3 | 60·8 | 54 | 5 |
| TE AROHA G. F. McGirr | .. | 65·5 | 78·0 | 53·0 | 40 | 6 |
| ROTORUA W. Hill | 925 | 63·5 | 76·0 | 51·0 | 90 | 5 |
| WAIHI H. B. Devereux | 390 | 64·0 | 75·3 | 52·7 | 180 | 12 |
| RUAKURA C. Cussen | 130 | 64·9 | 77·5 | 52·4 | 31 | 4 |
| NEW PLYMOUTH G. W. Palmer | 200 | 65·8 | 76·1 | 55·5 | 414 | 7 |
| MOUMAHAKI F. Gillanders | 250 | 62·0 | 71·7 | 52·3 | 211 | 3 |
| PALMERSTON NORTH Mrs. A. A. Martin | 103 | 62·4 | 72·9 | 50·9 | 25 | 2 |
| LEVIN D. M. Cole | 119 | 60·2 | 72·7 | 48·2 | 10 | 1 |
| MASTERTON A. G. Wise | 377 | 61·5 | 75·6 | 47·5 | 11 | 2 |
| GISBORNE Archd'n Williams | .. | 64·8 | 73·5 | 56·1 | 269 | 14 |
| MEEANEE, NAPIER Very Rev. Dr. Kennedy | 10 | 62·1 | 70·8 | 53·5 | 42 | 7 |
| WELLINGTON F. W. Simms | 110 | 62·0 | 68·8 | 55·2 | 3 | 1 |
| Averages .. | .. | 63·5 | 74·1 | 53·0 | 106 | 5 |
| NELSON J. Sharp and M. Kemphorne | .. | 62·8 | 73·8 | 53·6 | 0 | 0 |
| MURCHISON Dr. E. H. Howard | 490 | 63·3 | 74·4 | 49·2 | 43 | 6 |
| HANMER SPA J. B. Gould | 1218 | 60·1 | 71·4 | 48·9 | 18 | 6 |
| CHRISTCHURCH H. F. Skey | 25 | 60·2 | 69·4 | 51·0 | 4 | 1 |
| LINCOLN G. Gray | 42 | 61·5 | 71·5 | 51·4 | 1 | 1 |
| TIMARU R. Ferguson | 96 | 60·7 | 72·4 | 49·0 | 21 | 4 |
| INGLEWOOD, WAIMATE W. M. Hamilton | 90 | 58·9 | 69·0 | 48·8 | 39 | 8 |
| LEITH VALLEY, DUNEDIN H. Skey | 300 | 57·4 | 65·5 | 49·4 | 176 | 7 |
| GORE Captain A. A. Scott | 350 | 56·9 | 70·9 | 43·0 | 266 | 7 |
| HOKITIKA A. D. Macfarlane | 12 | 62·1 | 71·5 | 52·7 | 508 | 5 |
| Averages .. | .. | 60·4 | 74·1 | 49·7 | 108 | 4·5 |
SUMMARY FOR FEBRUARY, 1908.
The month of February closed such a period of dry weather as was previously without precedent in New Zealand. The dryness extended generally over three months, and whereas in all the former records there were hardly half a dozen places recording no rain in any month, yet each of the past three months have presented many instances of such droughts. Bush fires were prevalent, and much damage was reported. Smoke haze obscured the sky, and the heat and dryness caused suffering and loss in animal and vegetable life. Conditions were better in Southland, where westerly depressions brought an average amount of rain. Good rains were also experienced from Wairoa South to East Cape.
The barometer was high (the range, movements, and gradients being small), and winds generally light. The highest pressure (30·63) during the month was recorded at Cape Campbell on the 19th, and the lowest (29·50) at the Bluff on the 9th.
AVERAGES DERIVED FROM THE MONTHLY CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLES FOR THE YEARS 1905 TO 1907 (INCLUSIVE).
| Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | April. | May. | June. | July. | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Annual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean temperature .. | 62·6 | 63·0 | 61·5 | 57·5 | 52·7 | 48·6 | 48·6 | 49·7 | 51·6 | 54·8 | 58·2 | 62·7 56°F. |
| Rainfall, in points (100=1 inch) | 472 | 363 | 389 | 398 | 528 | 497 | 550 | 370 | 452 | 441 | 366 | 299 51·25 in. |
| Days with rain .. | 11·4 | 10·0 | 10·8 | 14·4 | 15·3 | 14·6 | 17·0 | 15·0 | 18·2 | 15·7 | 13·2 | 10·5 166 days. |
SOUTH ISLAND-
| Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | April. | May. | June. | July. | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Annual. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean temperature .. | 59·5 | 60·0 | 58·4 | 52·9 | 48·1 | 43·8 | 42·9 | 44·5 | 47·7 | 51·6 | 55·6 | 59·7 52°F. |
| Rainfall, in points (100=1 inch) | 334 | 352 | 442 | 320 | 374 | 384 | 378 | 295 | 500 | 418 | 341 | 290 44·28 in. |
| Days with rain .. | 12·2 | 9·9 | 12·6 | 14·2 | 12·5 | 12·3 | 14·1 | 11·7 | 15·7 | 12·9 | 12·7 | 10·2 151 days. |
Next Page →
NZ Gazette 1908, No 23
✨ LLM interpretation of page content
🏛️ New Zealand Meteorological Returns, February, 1908
🏛️ Governance & Central AdministrationMeteorology, Weather observations, Temperature, Rainfall, Barometer, Wind, Cloud, Sunshine, Humidity