OCT. 28.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 2417

Government Meteorological Observatory.

METEOROLOGICAL Observation at Kelburn, Wellington, for the Month of September, 1937. 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. | | | | |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| | | In Screen. | | Maxi-mum. | Mini-mum. | Minimum on Grass. | Beaufort Scale. | Anemo-meter. | Rainfall, in Points (100 = 1 Inch). | Bright Sunshine: Hours and Tenths. | Weather (Symbols) at 9 a.m. |
| | | Dry. | Wet. | Humid-ity. | | | | Direction. | Force. | Run in 24 Hours. | | | |
| 1 | 29.932 | 52.7 | 52.2 | 97 | 56.9 | 49.9 | 49.2 | SSE | 3 | 143 | 2 | 0.7 | ojp |
| 2 | 29.891 | 48.8 | 48.6 | 99 | 53.1 | 46.4 | 46.0 | S | 2 | 142 | 18 | 3.6 | omd |
| 3 | 29.962 | 47.0 | 46.6 | 97 | 49.7 | 45.8 | 46.2 | SSE | 3 | 84 | 16 | 0.0 | op |
| 4 | 29.932 | 49.0 | 48.1 | 94 | 49.9 | 45.0 | 44.0 | SSE | 4 | 242 | 1 | 0.0 | op |
| 5 | 29.962 | 48.9 | 46.6 | 83 | 51.4 | 45.8 | 44.0 | SSE | 3 | 230 | 12 | 0.0 | oir |
| 6 | 29.947 | 50.4 | 48.5 | 87 | 53.9 | 45.4 | 42.0 | SSE | 3 | 154 | 8 | 0.0 | ojp |
| 7 | 29.894 | 51.3 | 48.6 | 81 | 57.3 | 46.2 | 45.2 | Calm | .. | 46 | 2 | 3.3 | o |
| 8 | 29.770 | 52.9 | 49.7 | 79 | 59.1 | 46.2 | 42.2 | NNW | 4 | 43 | .. | 5.5 | c |
| 9 | 30.216 | 46.8 | 42.0 | 64 | 52.3 | 42.6 | 38.7 | SSE | 4 | 213 | .. | 3.3 | o |
| 10 | 30.086 | 50.2 | 45.8 | 69 | 55.4 | 44.8 | 43.2 | NNW | 4 | 136 | 15 | 4.4 | o |
| 11 | 29.953 | 53.2 | 52.4 | 94 | 54.8 | 48.3 | 48.3 | WNW | 7 | 368 | 16 | 0.0 | ogq |
| 12 | 29.637 | 53.0 | 49.7 | 78 | 54.8 | 47.3 | 45.0 | NW | 7 | 427 | 4 | 6.8 | cq |
| 13 | 29.938 | 52.1 | 48.2 | 74 | 59.8 | 46.3 | 44.2 | SE | 1 | 366 | Trace | 5.5 | o |
| 14 | 29.982 | 51.0 | 49.8 | 92 | 57.8 | 48.2 | 44.0 | NW | 7 | 236 | 3 | 5.2 | opq |
| 15 | 29.991 | 45.5 | 43.0 | 81 | 50.1 | 41.5 | 32.7 | SW | 3 | 346 | 16 | 4.7 | oip |
| 16 | 30.319 | 46.7 | 44.0 | 79 | 50.0 | 41.4 | 39.4 | S | 4 | 360 | 1 | 1.9 | ojp |
| 17 | 30.340 | 47.8 | 44.5 | 76 | 51.4 | 43.8 | 38.8 | SSE | 3 | 212 | .. | 8.1 | o |
| 18 | 30.124 | 51.2 | 48.2 | 79 | 57.3 | 40.0 | 31.8 | NNW | 2 | 79 | .. | 9.1 | bc |
| 19 | 30.071 | 53.0 | 50.4 | 82 | 59.2 | 45.7 | 41.3 | N | 2 | 88 | Trace | 3.2 | o |
| 20 | 29.870 | 52.2 | 51.4 | 94 | 56.3 | 47.0 | 42.2 | NW | 5 | 158 | 11 | 0.0 | oid |
| 21 | 29.723 | 56.3 | 53.2 | 80 | 58.9 | 50.7 | 48.2 | NNW | 3 | 377 | 1 | 8.6 | bc |
| 22 | 29.519 | 49.2 | 47.8 | 90 | 53.7 | 46.2 | 38.2 | Calm | .. | 193 | 119 | 0.4 | or |
| 23 | 29.442 | 45.0 | 42.6 | 81 | 49.6 | 43.2 | 42.8 | S | 7 | 176 | 11 | 3.8 | opq |
| 24 | 29.634 | 48.8 | 44.0 | 65 | 50.1 | 43.0 | 39.0 | S | 3 | 298 | 58 | 0.0 | o |
| 25 | 29.740 | 44.0 | 42.8 | 90 | 48.9 | 41.1 | 41.1 | S | 5 | 120 | Trace | 0.7 | op |
| 26 | 29.894 | 48.3 | 43.1 | 62 | 54.2 | 38.2 | 32.3 | NNW | 1 | 224 | .. | 10.0 | b |
| 27 | 29.607 | 53.5 | 48.2 | 65 | 58.9 | 45.2 | 41.4 | NW | 6 | 255 | 36 | 11.0 | bcq |
| 28 | 30.106 | 44.4 | 38.7 | 54 | 50.0 | 39.0 | 36.2 | S | 5 | 352 | .. | 10.4 | by |
| 29 | 30.207 | 50.0 | 45.1 | 66 | 53.7 | 36.9 | 29.2 | NNW | 3 | 152 | Trace | 9.8 | b |
| 30 | 29.864 | 51.1 | 50.3 | 94 | 60.0 | 46.9 | 45.0 | NW | 7 | 402 | 1 | 5.5 | oq |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Means, &c. . . | 29.918 | 49.8 | 47.1 | 81 | 54.3 | 44.6 | 41.4 | .. | 3.7 | 221 | 351 | 125.5 | .. |

Mean earth temperature at 1 ft., 51.5°; and at 3 ft., 50.9°. Number of rain days, 20. Total rainfall, 10 per cent. above normal. Sunshine, 35 per cent. of possible, and the least sunny September ever experienced. Mean dew-point at 9 a.m., 44.1°; mean vapour pressure, 0.288 in.

DIRECTION OF WIND.

NOTE.—Hail fell on the 12th and 27th and thunder was heard on the 12th. Lightning was observed on the evening of the 14th. On the morning of the 30th a north-west gale blew for several hours. Snow fell on the Orongorongos on the 27th-28th, and the Tararuas also received a good coating.

NOTES ON THE WEATHER FOR SEPTEMBER, 1937.

General.—September was a rather mild month with little storm activity and generally an absence of extreme temperatures. Though the rainfall was considerably below normal over a large part of the country, skies were dull in these areas and there were few drying winds. Over most of the country, and especially the North Island and Marlborough, the rain was sufficient to keep the soil moist. In most districts there has been a good growth of crops, pastures, and other vegetation, but continued dull and wet weather has had a retarding effect in parts of the North Island and in Marlborough. Dry conditions prevailed, however, in most of Otago and South Canterbury, and good, soaking rains will be required soon over much of the Dominion, especially if many dry north-westerly winds are experienced. Stock are in good condition, and the weather has, in most places, been very favourable for lambing. There were some losses owing to excessive rain in Marlborough at the beginning of the month and in Canterbury owing to cold towards the latter end. A rather severe frost occurred in Hawke's Bay and the Manawatu on the 29th, and considerable damage was done to stone-fruit and tender crops.

Rainfall.—Conditions as regards rainfall were rather varied over the North Island. Rain was frequent, but many of the falls were light. In the Poverty Bay and Bay of Plenty areas totals were considerably below average, but in most of the Hawke's Bay and Wellington Provinces above it. In the South Island most of Marlborough and North Canterbury had more than the average, but the remainder generally less. Very little rain was recorded in Central Otago.

Temperatures.—Temperatures differed very little from the average for September, and the departures from normal showed little regularity. Though the frost of the 29th was severe in the southern portion of the North Island there was no occasion on which severe cold was general. The nights for the most part were mild. Where the temperature was below average it was generally due to the prevalence of cloudy skies and low day temperatures. The temperature of the soil is higher than usual for the time of year.

Sunshine.—In the Auckland and Taranaki Provinces the amount of bright sunshine was, at many places, slightly above average. Except at Invercargill, where there was only a slight deficit, the month elsewhere was one of the least sunny Septembers hitherto experienced. Tauranga had 190.3 and Hamilton East 185.1 hours.

Storm Systems.—During the first eight days conditions were unsettled. Several rather indefinite depressions affected the Dominion, culminating in a shallow cyclone which moved from the west across the North Island between the 5th and the 8th. Frequent and widespread rains occurred over the North Island and eastern districts of the South; the western and southern portions of the South Island, however, experienced very little. Temperatures were mild. A number of thunder and hail storms occurred in the North Island.