Aug. 26.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 2201

Government Meteorological Observatory.

METEOROLOGICAL Observations, Wellington, for the month of July, 1909. Observations taken at 9 a.m.

Altitude of new observatory, 110 ft.

• Means, &c. † Means previous years. ‡ Means last year.

Note.—Mild and humid weather prevailed. Total bright sunshine, 91 hrs. 35 min. Seven days without record of sunshine. Four frosts recorded on the ground. Earth temperatures fell in the middle of the month to 48° at 1 ft. and 51° at 3 ft., while the means were 50° at the depth of 1 ft. and 51·6° at 3 ft. in the soil. Thunder and lightning occurred on the 29th. Means: Dew-point, 40·2°; relative humidity, 67 per cent.; and elastic force of vapour 0·249 in.

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE.
MEANS AND TOTALS FROM THE CHIEF STATIONS.
July, 1909.

| | SOUTH ISLAND. | Deg. | Deg. | Deg. | Points. | Dys. |
| 34 | NELSON .. J. Sharp and Rev. J. P. Kempthorne | 46·8 | 53·6 | 40·0 | 743 | 16 |
| 490 | MURCHISON .. Dr. E. H. Howard | 43·1 | 49·5 | 36·8 | 705 | 19 |
| 1218 | HANMER SPA .. S. J. Collett | 41·3 | 49·0 | 33·9 | 294 | 13 |
| 25 | CHRISTCHURCH .. B. V. Pemberton | 43·0 | 50·1 | 36·0 | 173 | 14 |
| 42 | LINCOLN .. G. Gray | 44·0 | 51·0 | 37·0 | 132 | 13 |
| 130 | TIMARU .. R. Fergusson | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| 90 | INGLEWOOD, WAIMATE .. W. M. Hamilton | 41·1 | 48·6 | 33·7 | 207 | 13 |
| 300 | LEITH VALLEY, DUNEDIN .. H. Skey | 42·1 | 46·7 | 37·5 | 264 | 7 |
| 350 | GORE .. Captain A. A. Scott | 38·7 | 46·5 | 31·0 | 29 | 4 |
| 12 | HOKITIKA .. A. D. Macfarlane | 47·5 | 56·4 | 38·6 | 1349 | 14 |
| | Averages .. | 43·1 | 50·2 | 36·0 | 433 | 12·6 |

SUMMARY FOR JULY, 1909.

The weather during July was exceptionally mild and humid. The rainfall was greatly above the average on the western and northern aspects of both Islands, excepting in the extreme south, where Puysegur Point records a minimum rainfall for a long period. In Southland also the rainfall was very light, Dipton having its minimum rainfall for twenty-three years. Parts of Canterbury and Otago had less than the usual, and south of East Cape the rainfall was also below the average, though the conditions were humid, and a fair number of days with rain. There was very little wind in most parts of the country, for though the disturbances were extensive they were not generally of great intensity. The mildness of the weather kept up an abundance of feed, and in fact the growth of grass hardly ceased. Flowers came into blossom, and in some parts it seemed as if the season were spring rather than mid-winter. The dampness of the soil and the atmosphere, owing to absence of wind, interfered with outdoor operations, particularly in the North Island, except when anti-cyclonic conditions prevailed in the middle of the month, but on the east coast of the South Island conditions were mostly very favourable to farmers. Stock have kept in fine condition, and what is usually the worst month of the year was remarkable for its comparative mildness.

The chief disturbances were two cyclones in the North on the 2nd and 3rd, and from the 9th to the 11th, and a westerly area of low pressure from the 26th to the end of the month, which particularly affected the South Island, but brought rough weather also on the west coast of the North Island.

Meteorological Office, Wellington,

D. C. BATES,
Director,

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