✨ Meteorological Observations
JAN. 31.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 255
Government Meteorological Observatory.
METEOROLOGICAL Observations, Wellington, for the month of December, 1923. Observations taken 9 a.m.
Altitude of Observatory, 10 ft.
| Date | Barometer reduced in and corrected Inches to Lat. 45°. | Max. Temp. in Shade. | Min. Temp. in Shade. | Mean Temp. in Shade. | Solar Radiation. | Terrestrial Radiation. | Veloc. Wind in Miles. | Amount of Cloud, 0 to 10. | Direction of Wind. | Rainfall in Points (100 to 1 Inch). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30·226 | 68·6 | 59·4 | 64·0 | 138·0 | 56·1 | 355 | 10 | N.W. | .. |
| 2 | 30·177 | 68·2 | 59·8 | 64·0 | 133·0 | 56·0 | 237 | 10 | N. | .. |
| 3 | 30·174 | 69·0 | 61·5 | 65·2 | 135·0 | 59·2 | 426 | 9 | N.W. | 2 |
| 4 | 30·222 | 67·7 | 61·6 | 64·6 | 127·0 | 59·7 | 472 | 10 | N.W. | Trace |
| 5 | 30·193 | 70·3 | 61·2 | 65·7 | 135·0 | 59·6 | 441 | 9 | W.N.W | 1 |
| 6 | 30·289 | 70·1 | 56·5 | 63·3 | 139·0 | 54·0 | 225 | 9 | E. | .. |
| 7 | 30·081 | 75·3 | 59·3 | 67·3 | 141·0 | 58·3 | 371 | 6 | W.N.W | .. |
| 8 | 30·153 | 69·7 | 61·6 | 65·6 | 128·0 | 60·8 | 468 | 10 | W.N.W | Trace |
| 9 | 30·222 | 66·0 | 58·0 | 62·0 | 116·0 | 54·3 | 128 | 10 | Calm. | .. |
| 10 | 30·060 | 74·5 | 59·7 | 67·1 | 136·0 | 56·2 | 243 | 3 | N.N.W | 7 |
| 11 | 30·214 | 71·4 | 52·6 | 62·0 | 130·0 | 51·1 | 279 | 7 | S. | 8 |
| 12 | 30·120 | 67·5 | 57·5 | 62·5 | 129·0 | 55·9 | 210 | 10 | S. | .. |
| 13 | 30·163 | 69·2 | 53·7 | 61·4 | 133·0 | 46·3 | 153 | 6 | N.W. | .. |
| 14 | 29·958 | 71·7 | 59·7 | 65·7 | 133·0 | 56·4 | 279 | 9 | N.N.W | 1 |
| 15 | 30·021 | 70·0 | 58·3 | 64·1 | 136·0 | 56·5 | 312 | 4 | S. | .. |
| 16 | 29·639 | 73·4 | 62·0 | 67·7 | 135·0 | 60·2 | 281 | 10 | N. | .. |
| 17 | 29·624 | 69·2 | 63·0 | 66·1 | 117·0 | 61·5 | 360 | 10 | N.W. | .. |
| 18 | 29·713 | 69·7 | 58·5 | 64·1 | 133·0 | 54·1 | 282 | 8 | N.W. | 59 |
| 19 | 29·488 | 69·7 | 56·1 | 62·9 | 137·0 | 55·0 | 426 | 10 | N.N.W | 19 |
| 20 | 29·595 | 68·4 | 58·6 | 63·5 | 124·0 | 57·5 | 285 | 4 | N.W. | Trace |
| 21 | 29·951 | 66·7 | 47·6 | 57·1 | 136·0 | 41·1 | 331 | 1 | N. | .. |
| 22 | 30·040 | 68·0 | 58·0 | 63·0 | 129·0 | 51·0 | 316 | 0 | N.W. | .. |
| 23 | 30·006 | 72·0 | 59·0 | 65·5 | 131·0 | 55·3 | 280 | 2 | N.N.W | .. |
| 24 | 29·678 | 70·0 | 60·5 | 65·2 | 144·0 | 58·0 | 411 | 5 | N.N.W | 9 |
| 25 | 29·424 | 67·5 | 51·0 | 59·2 | 139·0 | 43·8 | 317 | 6 | N. | 5 |
| 26 | 29·860 | 68·0 | 49·2 | 58·6 | 130·0 | 44·0 | 349 | 1 | S. | .. |
| 27 | 29·995 | 66·6 | 54·0 | 60·3 | 128·0 | 50·5 | 239 | 3 | N.N.W | 69 |
| 28 | 29·578 | 64·8 | 58·8 | 61·8 | 134·0 | 54·7 | 522 | 10 | N.W. | 2 |
| 29 | 29·795 | 65·9 | 57·1 | 61·5 | 128·0 | 51·2 | 431 | 3 | N. | .. |
| 30 | 30·025 | 69·6 | 53·6 | 61·6 | 141·0 | 49·2 | 141 | 1 | S. | .. |
| 31 | 30·008 | 72·8 | 58·4 | 65·6 | 134·0 | 54·0 | 185 | 1 | E.S.E. | .. |
| * | 29·958 | 69·4 | 57·6 | 63·5 | 132·5 | 54·2 | 315 | 6·4 | .. | 182 |
| † | 29·869 | 66·9 | 53·8 | 60·3 | 125·8 | 47·1 | 280 | 5·2 | .. | 324 |
- Means, &c. † Means previous years.
DIRECTION OF WIND.
N. N.E. E. S.E. S. S.W. W. N.W. Calm. 11 | .. | 2 | .. | 5 | .. | 3 | 9 | 1
NOTE.—A warm dry month with moderate to strong N. and N.W. winds prevailing. Precipitation was 44 per cent. below the mean of previous years. Total bright sunshine 216 hours 28 minutes, 46 per cent. of the possible, and two sunless days. Thunder occurred on the 25th. Mean earth temperature at 1 ft. was 69·1°, and 65·1° at 3 ft.; mean dew-point, 53·5°; mean elastic force of vapour, 0·410 in.; and mean relative humidity, 70 per cent. of saturation.
CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE.
MEANS AND TOTALS FROM THE CHIEF STATIONS.
December, 1923.
| Altitude above Sea-level. | Name of Station and Observer. | Absolute Mean Temp. Air in Shade. Deg. | Mean Max. Temp. Deg. | Mean Min. Temp. Deg. | Total Rainfall Points. (100 Points to the Inch). | Days with rain (3 Point or more). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ft. 152 | AUCKLAND | 66·4 | 72·6 | 60·3 | 201 | 12 |
| 131 | RUAkURA FARM, HAMILTON EAST W. B. Monro | 63·3 | 75·5 | 51·2 | 214 | 7 |
| 46 | TE AROHA .. C. E. Christensen | 67·0 | 77·3 | 56·8 | 356 | 8 |
| 340 | WAIHI .. C. F. Sims. | 66·6 | 77·0 | 56·2 | 213 | 8 |
| 100 | TAURANGA .. C. J. Butcher | 65·5 | 75·0 | 56·0 | 212 | 7 |
| 925 | ROTORUA .. W. E. Penno | 63·9 | 74·8 | 53·1 | 51 | 7 |
| 60 | NEW PLYMOUTH .. G. H. Dolby | 61·8 | 68·0 | 55·7 | 304 | 13 |
| 250 | MOUMAHAKI .. J. G. McFarlane | 63·6 | 74·8 | 52·4 | 208 | 9 |
| 2080 | TAIHAPE .. A. R. Fannin | 59·2 | 69·1 | 49·4 | 126 | 12 |
| 100 | PALMERSTON NORTH .. J. A. Colquhoun | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| 5 | OUROA DOWNS .. R. A. Reid | 61·2 | 68·5 | 53·9 | 354 | 10 |
| 119 | CENTRAL DEVELOPMENT FARM, WERAROA J. E. Sharp | 61·0 | 66·8 | 55·2 | 433 | 14 |
| 377 | MASTERTON .. R. Brown | 64·4 | 76·4 | 52·5 | 89 | 9 |
| 186 | GREYTOWN .. W. Allan | 64·5 | 76·0 | 53·0 | 86 | 7 |
| 10 | WELLINGTON | 63·5 | 69·4 | 57·6 | 182 | 11 |
| SOUTH ISLAND. | ||||||
| 87 | BRIGHTWATER .. Ven. Archdeacon Kempthorne | 63·5 | 74·6 | 52·5 | 84 | 4 |
| 34 | NELSON .. Wm. C. Davies | 63·0 | 72·7 | 53·4 | 119 | 3 |
| 1220 | HANMER SPRINGS .. W. G. Morrison | 61·3 | 73·4 | 49·2 | 147 | 5 |
| 25 | CHRISTCHURCH .. H. F. Skey | 63·5 | 74·9 | 52·0 | 230 | 9 |
| 42 | LINCOLN .. M. J. Scott | 65·4 | 76·9 | 53·9 | 264 | 7 |
| 1220 | KISSELTON .. F. Freeman | 62·0 | 75·0 | 49·0 | 327 | 8 |
| 349 | RAKAIA .. Miss A. Hardy | 63·0 | 75·7 | 50·3 | 345 | 10 |
| 130 | TIMARU .. Caretaker of Domain | 62·9 | 74·8 | 51·1 | 102 | 8 |
| 200 | WAIMATE .. F. Akhurst | 62·0 | 73·7 | 50·3 | 127 | 7 |
| 300 | DUNEDIN .. D. Tannock | 59·9 | 69·2 | 50·7 | 190 | 11 |
| 245 | GORE .. A. T. Newman | 56·8 | 68·2 | 45·4 | 225 | 16 |
| 12 | HOKITIKA .. J. A. Chesney | 57·6 | 63·9 | 51·4 | 1148 | 22 |
| 12 | INVERCARGILL .. L. Lennie | 56·8 | 66·5 | 47·2 | 309 | 19 |
SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, 1923.
Anticyclonic conditions were continuously in evidence in the North during the first half of December, and, although three small westerly depressions passed in the South, only scattered rainfall was recorded. The latter half of the month was dominated by four intense westerly “lows,” and these accounted for heavy rain in the West Coast districts and high westerly winds and boisterous conditions in and southward of Cook Strait. A strong north-west gale on the 28th caused extensive damage in Canterbury.
The best and most general rainfall occurred about the 19th and 20th, but the East Coast of the North Island did not benefit.
As a result of a predominance of westerly winds, only the western districts of the South Island and a few places on the west coast of the North Island recorded a total rainfall above the average. All other parts of the Dominion experienced a deficiency, which was most marked in Hawke’s Bay, some stations in the latter district having no rain during the month. Our observers generally described the month as “hot and dry.”
D. C. BATES, Director.
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NZ Gazette 1924, No 6
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🏗️ Meteorological Observations for Wellington, December 1923
🏗️ Infrastructure & Public WorksWeather, Temperature, Rainfall, Wind, Wellington
- D. C. Bates, Director