2526
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 94

Government Meteorological Observatory.

METEOROLOGICAL Observations, Wellington, for
the month of May, 1919. Observations taken
a.m.

Altitude of Observatory, 8 ft.

| Date. | Barometer reduced in
and corrected to Lat. 41°.
Inches to Lat. 41°. | From Self-registering Instruments,
for Twenty-four Hours previously. | | | | | | | | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | | Max. Temp.
in Shade. | Min. Temp.
in Shade. | Mean Temp.
in Shade. | Solar Radia-
tion. | Terrestrial
Radiation. | Veloc. Wind,
in Miles. | Amount of Cloud,
0 to 10. | Direction of Wind. | Rainfall, in Points
(100 to 1 Inch). |
| 1 | 30·428 | Fah. 59·4 | Fah. 44·0 | Fah. 51·7 | Fah. 118·0 | 31·0 | 110 | 10 | N.E. | .. |
| 2 | 30·266 | 56·5 | 52·3 | 54·4 | 102·0 | 50·3 | 270 | 4 | N.W. | Trace |
| 3 | 30·044 | 59·4 | 55·6 | 57·5 | 106·0 | 54·5 | 575 | 10 | N.W. | 13 |
| 4 | 30·377 | 63·4 | 45·8 | 54·6 | 114·0 | 41·6 | 332 | 9 | S. | .. |
| 5 | 30·357 | 55·6 | 37·0 | 46·3 | 111·0 | 25·7 | 143 | 7 | N.E. | .. |
| 6 | 30·357 | 59·2 | 47·9 | 53·5 | 109·0 | 35·5 | 172 | 8 | S. | .. |
| 7 | 30·434 | 55·9 | 51·1 | 53·5 | 78·0 | 48·9 | 289 | 9 | S. | .. |
| 8 | 30·499 | 58·8 | 46·4 | 52·6 | 109·0 | 32·8 | 120 | 1 | S. | Trace |
| 9 | 30·520 | 60·9 | 52·7 | 56·8 | 114·0 | 52·0 | 288 | 10 | S.E. | .. |
| 10 | 30·524 | 56·6 | 50·1 | 53·3 | 82·0 | 48·7 | 150 | 7 | S. | Trace |
| 11 | 30·489 | 59·8 | 44·8 | 52·3 | 108·0 | 31·9 | 117 | 9 | Calm | .. |
| 12 | 30·529 | 56·8 | 49·4 | 53·1 | 93·0 | 43·7 | 150 | 10 | N. | .. |
| 13 | 30·510 | 57·5 | 52·3 | 54·9 | 97·0 | 47·6 | 235 | 10 | N. | .. |
| 14 | 30·477 | 56·0 | 52·0 | 54·0 | 74·0 | 50·5 | 159 | 10 | N. | .. |
| 15 | 30·282 | 57·0 | 52·3 | 54·6 | 91·0 | 49·1 | 300 | 7 | N. | .. |
| 16 | 30·447 | 59·0 | 49·0 | 54·0 | 112·0 | 35·2 | 222 | 5 | SSE | .. |
| 17 | 30·240 | 54·9 | 37·0 | 45·9 | 94·0 | 23·0 | 74 | 4 | Calm | 80 |
| 18 | 29·962 | 62·3 | 49·0 | 55·6 | 107·0 | 41·5 | 33 | 10 | Calm | 19 |
| 19 | 29·834 | 54·9 | 52·5 | 53·7 | 79·0 | 50·3 | 476 | 10 | S.E. | 21 |
| 20 | 29·832 | 55·0 | 48·7 | 51·8 | 57·0 | 47·0 | 594 | 10 | SSE | Trace |
| 21 | 30·031 | 53·3 | 47·2 | 50·2 | 90·0 | 42·0 | 357 | 2 | S. | .. |
| 22 | 30·100 | 56·1 | 36·0 | 46·0 | 104·0 | 24·9 | 44 | 0 | ENE | .. |
| 23 | 30·096 | 58·5 | 46·2 | 52·3 | 106·0 | 33·4 | 165 | 0 | Calm | .. |
| 24 | 30·236 | 62·3 | 36·3 | 49·3 | 108·0 | 24·0 | 23 | 0 | Calm | 1 |
| 25 | 29·887 | 59·4 | 49·0 | 54·2 | 109·0 | 49·2 | 261 | 10 | N. | 29 |
| 26 | 29·735 | 58·4 | 54·6 | 56·5 | 97·0 | 52·4 | 446 | 3 | N.W. | 4 |
| 27 | 29·836 | 58·7 | 42·9 | 50·8 | 111·0 | 40·4 | 404 | 10 | S. | 15 |
| 28 | 29·987 | 47·7 | 38·3 | 43·0 | 95·0 | 35·2 | 388 | 3 | S.W. | .. |
| 29 | 29·800 | 53·4 | 33·6 | 43·5 | 101·0 | 28·0 | 50 | 0 | N. | Trace |
| 30 | 29·888 | 55·0 | 38·5 | 46·7 | 102·0 | 29·4 | 82 | 10 | S. | 10 |
| 31 | 30·267 | 46·5 | 39·2 | 42·8 | 74·0 | 27·6 | 259 | 3 | S. | .. |
| * | 30·202 | 57·0 | 46·2 | 51·6 | 98·4 | 39·4 | 235 | 6·5 | .. | 192 |
| † | 29·965 | 58·3 | 47·3 | 52·8 | 95·2 | 39·9 | 218 | .. | .. | 494 |

• Means, &c.
  † Means previous years.

DIRECTION OF WIND.

N. N.E. E. S.E. S. S.W. W. N.W. Calm.
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 1 | .. | 3 | .5

NOTE.—The weather during May has been cloudy and
showery, with precipitation 61 per cent. below the mean of
previous years, the major portion of which fell during the
latter half of the month. Total bright sunshine 117 hours
19 minutes, and four sunless days. Frost was recorded on
the grass on nine mornings. Mean earth-temperature at
1 ft. was 53°, and 56° at 3 ft. Mean dew-point, 45·1°; mean
elastic force of vapour, 0·301 in.; and mean relative humidity,
79 per cent. of saturation.

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE.
MEANS AND TOTALS FROM THE CHIEF STATIONS.
May, 1919.

| Altitude above
Sea-level. | Name of Station and
Observer. | Absolute Mean
Temp. Air in
Shade. | Extremes. | | Total Rainfall
to the
(100 Points to the
Inch). | Days with Rain
(¼ Point or more). |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | | Deg. | Deg. | Deg. | Points. | Dys. |
| | | | Max. Temp. | Min. Temp. | | |
| Ft. 125 | NORTH ISLAND.
AUCKLAND ..
F. A. F. Burnett | 55·1 | 61·1 | 49·2 | 594 | 14 |
| 46 | TE AROHA ..
G. F. McGirr | 49·5 | 61·0 | 38·1 | 418 | 8 |
| 925 | ROTORUA ..
J. R. Cummins | 51·1 | 62·1 | 40·2 | 241 | 5 |
| 340 | WAIHI ..
P. A. Clifford | 50·9 | 62·0 | 39·8 | 534 | 11 |
| .. | TAURANGA ..
C. J. Butcher | 51·8 | 62·4 | 41·2 | 438 | 8 |
| 160 | NEW PLYMOUTH
W. W. Smith | 53·6 | 60·3 | 46·9 | 232 | 7 |
| 250 | MOUMAHIKI
T. W. Lonsdale | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| 2080 | TAIHAPE ..
A. R. Fannin | 45·7 | 53·2 | 38·2 | 152 | 20 |
| 100 | PALMERSTON NORTH
J. A. Colquhon | 48·5 | 58·5 | 38·6 | 85 | 7 |
| 119 | CENTRAL DEVELOPMENT
FARM, WERAROA
J Beverley | 48·6 | 58·2 | 39·1 | 137 | 7 |
| 186 | GREYTOWN ..
W. C. Davies | 47·8 | 57·9 | 37·7 | 208 | 11 |
| 377 | MASTERSTON
Wm. Hood | 48·8 | 60·7 | 37·0 | 293 | 10 |
| 70 | GREENMEADOWS, NA-
PIER
T. B. McBreen | 51·0 | 59·8 | 42·2 | 315 | 6 |
| .. | TRENTHAM MILITARY
CAMP
Lieut.-Col. Leahy | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| 10 | WELLINGTON | 51·6 | 57·0 | 46·2 | 192 | 9 |
| | SOUTH ISLAND.
BRIGHTWATER
Ven. Archdeacon
Kemphorne | 49·5 | 60·4 | 38·6 | 139 | 3 |
| 34 | NELSON ..
J. R. Dart | 50·2 | 59·3 | 41·1 | 163 | 5 |
| 1220 | HANMER SPA
G. J. O’Brien | 44·7 | 58·1 | 31·4 | 88 | 6 |
| 25 | CHRISTCHURCH
H. F. Skey | 47·7 | 56·2 | 39·2 | 127 | 7 |
| 42 | LINCOLN ..
L. J. Wild | 48·2 | 59·3 | 37·2 | 110 | 6 |
| 1220 | KISSELTON ..
A. R. Blackwood | 44·5 | 57·8 | 31·3 | 50 | 3 |
| .. | RAKAIA ..
Miss A. Hardy | 47·0 | 58·5 | 35·5 | 53 | 3 |
| 130 | TIMARU ..
Caretaker of Domain | 47·2 | 57·5 | 37·0 | 21 | 4 |
| 200 | WAIMATE ..
F. Akhurst | 47·0 | 56·8 | 37·2 | 12 | 4 |
| 300 | DUNEDIN ..
D. Tannock | 46·8 | 53·4 | 40·2 | 166 | 12 |
| 245 | GORE ..
H. Dolamore | 44·0 | 52·9 | 35·1 | 344 | 17 |
| 12 | HOKITIKA ..
W. H. Fleming | 46·2 | 53·9 | 38·6 | 259 | 7 |
| 12 | INVERCARGILL
L. Lennie | 46·2 | 54·3 | 38·1 | 404 | 21 |
| .. | PALMERSTON NORTH
(January, 1919) | 58·9 | 67·6 | 50·2 | 173 | 7 |

SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MAY, 1919.

During the first half of the month conditions were dominated by an extensive anticyclone, and, though at times the
weather was dull and misty, this proved a decidedly dry period over the whole of New Zealand. On the 17th a cyclonic
disturbance made its appearance north-west of the Dominion; its centre was located in the north on the 18th and 19th, and
passed off East Cape on the 20th. This storm brought some good rains, particularly over the North Island, and terminated
the drought which had persisted for such a considerable time in these parts. From the 26th to the close of the month
unsettled and showery weather prevailed when a small disturbance of a similar type to the above ruled in conjunction with
a moderate westerly low-pressure area. On the 26th snow fell in many parts of the South Island.

Frosts were of frequent occurrence, especially in the South Island, and some particularly severe ones were recorded.
The total rainfall exceeded the average in the North Auckland district, but all other parts of the Dominion experienced
considerably less than the mean, the percentage below ranging from 12 per cent. in the extreme South to as much as
80 per cent. at some stations in the Canterbury District.

B. V. PEMBERTON, Acting-Director.