New Zealand Gazette – 1929 – No. 11

Page 457

✨ Meteorological Observations



Feb. 21.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 457

Government Meteorological Observatory.

METEOROLOGICAL Observations at Kelburn, Wellington, for the month of December, 1928. Observations taken at 9 a.m.

Altitude of Observatory, 415 ft.

Date Pressure, in Inches, at Sea-level and Standard Gravity. Temperature (° F.) from Observations at 9 a.m. Wind. Rainfall, in Points (100 Points = 1 Inch) Hours Bright Sunshine: and Tenths. Weather (Symbols) at 9 a.m.
In Screen. Beaufort Scale. Anemometer.
At 9 a.m. Maximum. Minimum. Minimum on Grass.
Dry. Wet. Humidity. Dry. Dry. Direction. Force. Run in 24 Hours.
1 .. 29·854 60·8 55·0 67 62·7 49·1 44·2 133·7 NNW 4 160 13
2 .. 29·969 58·4 52·4 64 60·4 48·9 45·0 141·6 SSE 2 300 ..
3 .. 29·934 55·5 52·6 81 62·1 49·2 47·0 131·2 NW 1 117 ..
4 .. 29·690 61·0 57·5 78 66·1 53·1 50·5 128·2 NW 5 338 ..
5 .. 30·014 57·1 51·8 67 63·8 50·2 49·0 127·3 SE 3 264 ..
6 .. 30·032 63·0 55·9 61 70·5 47·1 39·1 133·2 NE 1 104 ..
7 .. 29·944 66·0 61·0 73 69·0 55·8 51·2 131·0 NW 3 150 ..
8 .. 29·909 65·0 60·2 74 68·9 55·8 52·9 136·5 NNW 2 192 7
9 .. 29·863 56·2 55·9 97 56·2 55·2 55·0 77·5 SSE 3 243 235
10 .. 29·827 49·4 49·4 100 53·6 47·0 47·0 84·0 SE 3 272 14
11 .. 29·679 53·5 52·9 96 56·2 48·5 48·4 92·1 Calm .. 108 149
12 .. 29·460 56·1 54·6 90 60·0 52·0 50·0 141·0 S 2 194 55
13 .. 29·360 53·6 52·0 90 56·3 47·2 45·5 124·0 SW 5 180 30
14 .. 29·716 56·0 52·8 80 59·0 48·2 47·3 135·9 SSE 5 243 43
15 .. 29·984 55·0 51·0 74 56·6 48·2 46·8 129·6 SE 5 313 3
16 .. 30·043 55·9 52·8 80 61·7 48·2 44·2 131·0 S 3 212 ..
17 .. 30·087 61·5 56·0 69 67·0 45·2 36·4 129·7 NW 1 89 ..
18 .. 29·992 60·1 56·4 78 63·2 53·0 47·1 131·7 NW 4 172 ..
19 .. 29·692 59·7 57·1 84 62·7 56·0 54·5 122·0 NW 6 411 10
20 .. 29·537 59·1 55·9 81 63·1 54·3 52·7 137·7 NW 3 467 70
21 .. 29·989 61·0 54·7 65 67·6 48·1 43·0 138·9 E 1 136 ..
22 .. 30·177 60·2 57·2 82 66·9 52·3 47·1 140·0 NW 2 63 ..
23 .. 30·115 63·6 58·9 75 68·2 56·4 52·9 130·0 NW 3 175 ..
24 .. 30·094 66·1 61·0 73 72·3 55·0 50·8 137·0 NW 2 158 ..
25 .. 30·018 66·8 61·3 72 70·4 60·2 57·0 140·4 N 5 247 76
26 .. 30·197 52·7 52·6 99 61·2 52·0 51·8 122·0 SE 5 272 9
27 .. 30·220 61·2 56·0 70 66·8 51·1 49·2 145·8 SE 3 277 ..
28 .. 29·979 65·8 62·0 80 69·8 55·8 53·1 115·8 E 1 65 92
29 .. 29·722 63·0 62·8 99 67·0 60·0 59·2 138·9 NW 5 78 ..
30 .. 29·789 64·3 61·6 85 66·2 59·3 57·0 135·1 NW 6 420 ..
31 .. 29·943 60·1 59·0 93 63·5 58·0 57·1 126·5 NW 3 235 13
Means, &c. .. 29·898 59·6 56·1 80 63·9 52·3 49·4 128·0 .. 3·1 215 819

Mean earth temperature at 1 ft., 63·4°; and at 3 ft., 61°. Number of wet days, 15.

DIRECTION OF WIND.

Gale (force 8 or more). Forces 4 to 7. Calm. N. N.E. E. S.E. S. S.W. W. N.W.
.. 11 1 2 1 2 6½ 3½ 1 .. 14

NOTE.—A wet month, with moderate to strong north-westerly winds prevailing. Precipitation at Karori Reservoir, near Kelburn, was 174 per cent. above the mean of previous years. Thunder was heard on the 1st and fog was in evidence on the 11th. Total sunshine, 213·9 hours, 46 per cent. of the possible, and four sunless days. Mean dew-point, 53·1°; and mean vapour pressure, 0·404 in.

SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, 1928.

December was a very wet month over much the greater part of the Dominion. About double the normal rainfall was recorded on the average over the North Island and in Canterbury, Nelson, and Marlborough. In many places it was the wettest December for many years, and in some the wettest on record. Westland, parts of Central and Northern Otago, and Southland proved exceptions to the rule, having rainfalls below the average.

There was again a marked absence of westerly winds, while southerlies were rather unusually prevalent. The low rainfalls in Westland and Otago were associated with the lack of westerly winds. Gales were few and winds generally light.

Though the southerly winds caused cool temperatures in parts of the eastern districts, conditions were, on the whole, mild and humid. Few places experienced any severe cold snaps. The month resembled its predecessor in the frequency of thunderstorms. These occurred most widely on the 1st, 15th, 16th, 23rd, 29th, and 31st, but were recorded in some places also on the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th to 14th, 20th, 24th, 25th, and 28th.

Owing to the abundance of rainfall the growth of vegetation has been very heavy. Conditions are generally very favourable for the agricultural community, and stock are in good shape. The humid atmosphere and absence of sunshine has interfered with shearing and haymaking in many districts, but especially in Canterbury, where also the wheat harvest has suffered considerably. Again, some damage was done by the rain to early stone fruit. So far, however, there are few reports of blight in potatoes or other fungoid diseases. The dairying industry is having a particularly good season, although in some parts the growth of grass has been so luxuriant that stock have been unable to keep it down.

The tendency for depressions to be of cyclonic form which has characterized the whole year was no less evident in December. On three occasions cyclones developed in the northern portions of depressions as they were crossing the Dominion. The first of these was on the 9th, when the cyclone appeared to the westward of the North Island. The centre passed through Cook Strait on the 10th. Moving slowly and being reinforced by the development of secondaries, the cyclone



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🌾 Meteorological Observations for December 1928

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Weather, Meteorological, Temperature, Rainfall, Wind, Wellington, Kelburn