2536
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
[No. 71

Government Meteorological Observatory.

METEOROLOGICAL Observations at Kelburn, Wellington, for the Month of August, 1933. Observations taken at 9 a.m.

Altitude of Observatory, 415 ft.

Mean earth temperature at 1 ft., 46·9°; and at 3 ft., 48·1°. Number of rain days, 17.

DIRECTION OF WIND.

NOTE.—A pleasant winter month, with rainfall 16 per cent. above normal. Total bright sunshine, 133·5 hours, 41 per cent. of the possible, and one sunless day. Frost was recorded on the grass on five mornings, and slight hail fell on the night of the 4th and the early morning of the 5th. On the 10th a heavy north-west gale was experienced. One gust of 80 m.p.h. occurred at 5.30 p.m., and there were several gusts between 75 and 78 m.p.h. during the day. Mean dew-point at 9 a.m., 42·6°; and mean vapour pressure, 0·272 in.

NOTES ON THE WEATHER FOR AUGUST, 1933.

General.—August was an excellent winter month. Reports from almost all parts of the country show that the season is unusually far advanced. There has already been some growth of grass, and crops and pastures are looking very well. Though temperatures have been about normal there has been an absence throughout the winter of days when strong winds, cold, and rain, hail or snow, combine to produce severe conditions for man, beast, and plant. The mountains are unusually free from snow for the time of year, while on the low levels there have been no falls of consequence. Stock have come through the winter very well, especially dairy cattle. The shortage of rainfall continues in Canterbury, Marlborough, and some other eastern areas. In parts of Canterbury feed is scarce and reserves are practically exhausted. Parts of the Wairarapa, also, are experiencing rather stringent conditions. The situation even in these districts would, however, be righted by good rains during the next two months, and the general outlook is very satisfactory.

Rainfall.—The distribution of rainfall during the month was too patchy to describe in detail. In general there was a deficiency in eastern districts, while western districts had approximately the average. The principal areas with an excess were on the Taranaki coast, about Cook Strait, and in the western parts of Otago and South Canterbury. In the Auckland Province conditions varied considerably from place to place. In Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay, and Poverty Bay totals were much below average.

Temperatures.—Mean temperatures were rather above normal over the greater part of the country, but the contrary was the case in eastern districts from Marlborough northwards and in the far North. There was an absence of extremes of any kind, and frosts were less numerous and less severe than usual.

Sunshine.—The differences between the total sunshine recorded at various places and the averages for August did not show any systematic arrangement. Excellent records were experienced at Tauranga (211·1 hours), Lake Tekapo (197·0 hours), and New Plymouth (193·3 hours).

Pressure Systems.—None of the storms experienced during the month were severe, and there was a marked tendency for those coming from Australia to lose intensity before crossing the Dominion.

The first four days were cold, showery, and rather boisterous, owing to the passage of westerly depressions on the 2nd and 4th, the latter being the deeper of the two. Each was followed by southerly gales, while some parts had westerly or northerly gales as the second approached. Snow was widespread on the high levels, and numerous hailstorms were reported.