1556
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 33

Government Meteorological Observatory.

METEOROLOGICAL Observations at Kelburn, Wellington, for the Month of February, 1930. Observations taken at 9 a.m.

Altitude of Observatory, 415 ft.

Mean earth temperature at 1 ft., 64·1°; and at 3 ft., 63°. Number of rain days, 5.

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.
.. | 12 | 1 | 6½ | 2 | 3½ | 7 | 4 | 1½ | .. | 2½

NOTE.—A dry sunny month; with temperature below the normal. Total bright sunshine, 239·7 hours, 64 per cent. of the possible, and one sunless day. The rainfall at Karori Reservoir, near Kelburn, was 42 per cent. below the mean of previous years. Fog was in evidence on the 15th and 16th. Mean dew-point, 53·7°; and mean vapour pressure, 0·412 in.

SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, 1930.

In contrast to the preceding month, February was a very dry one over the greater part of the Dominion. The whole of the South Island, with the exception of Puysegur Point, had a low rainfall, the deficiency being greatest in the North Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, and Westland provinces. Most of the North Island also experienced less than the average, but a considerable excess was recorded in the East Coast portion from Poverty Bay northwards and throughout the Auckland Peninsula. This effect was brought about by a predominance of south-easterly winds which were associated with cyclones passing to the north of the Dominion.

Even in those districts where rain was scanty, the growth of grass was well maintained throughout. The effect of the lack of rain was small owing to the heavy falls in previous months, to the absence of drying winds, and to the cool and somewhat changeable weather which prevailed. Conditions were, indeed, at times, more of a spring than a summer type.

On the whole, the month was favourable to all classes of stock. Dairy herds have milked well, and sheep and lambs have thrived in most districts. The latter, however, have not fattened as well as might have been expected at this season of the year owing to the rankness and softness of the pasture.

Reports indicate good crop yields, but the absence of warm sunshine has caused harvesting to be much later than usual. In many districts root crops have done remarkably well, the weather having been most favourable to this class of crop.

The mean temperature was again markedly below normal, for although there were many warm days the nights were invariably cool.

The pressure systems responsible for periods of unsettled weather were mainly cyclonic in form. The Auckland, Bay of Plenty, and Poverty Bay districts experienced considerable rainfall between the 1st and the 5th, while a cyclone was located to the north-east of Cape Maria van Diemen. This disturbance passed rapidly away on the night of the 5th, and from then on to the 13th the dominating influence was a slow-moving, fairly intense anticyclone. Except in the areas and during the period mentioned, fine weather of unusual brilliance was experienced over the Dominion until the 13th.

Only two depressions of the westerly type were recorded during the month, one on the 16th and the other on the night of the 23rd. The former followed closely on a cyclone which had moved gradually across the northern Tasman Sea and