FEB. 24.]

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

367

Government Meteorological Observatory.

METEOROLOGICAL Observations at Kelburn, Wellington, for the Month of January, 1938. Observations taken at

9 a.m.

Altitude of Observatory, 415 ft.

Mean earth temperature at 1 ft., 66·7°; and at 3 ft., 64·5°. Number of rain days, 9. Total rainfall, 78 per cent. above normal. Sunshine, 54 per cent. of the possible. Mean dew-point at 9 a.m., 56·0°; mean vapour pressure, 0.448 in.

DIRECTION OF WIND.

Gale (force Forces
8 or more). 4 to 7. N. N.E. E. S.E. S. S.W. W. N.W. Calm.
.. | 16 | 3 | 1½ | ½ | 4½ | .. | 7½ | .. | 14 | ..

NOTE.—A thunderstorm occurred on the early morning of the 10th.

NOTES ON THE WEATHER FOR JANUARY, 1938.

General.—January was a very warm and humid month. Though the rain was very heavy in some parts and above average in most districts there were comparatively few wet days, and in the middle of the month there was almost a fort-night of brilliantly fine weather with little wind. During the latter period some very high temperatures were recorded. As has been characteristic of this summer, the rain has come at very opportune times, and when it did come was generally heavy. In consequence, there is abundance of pasture in most parts of the country. The wheat crop is turning out much better than seemed likely a few months ago, and most other crops are doing very well. Stock are in good condition, and the milk yield has been well maintained. Lambs, though fattening better than earlier in the season, are still, apparently, somewhat on the light side.

Rainfall.—The total rainfall for the month was generally above average. This was especially the case in Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, and Canterbury. In North Auckland, the Bay of Plenty area, Nelson, and Marlborough, the departures from normal were not generally large, and excesses and deficits were mingled. In parts of Southland and south-eastern Otago the month was a dry one.

Temperatures.—Mean temperatures were 3 to 5 degrees above normal over the North Island, and mainly from 2 to 3 degrees above over the South Island. In the North Island, the only warmer January hitherto recorded was that of 1935. But for the one cold spell, which set in from the 23rd to the 26th, the means for the month would have been considerably higher. Many high readings were reported, but the atmosphere was generally too humid for records to be broken.

Sunshine.—Sunshine was above average over most of the country, some high totals being recorded in the northern part of the North Island, including 284·8 hours at Tauranga and 283·5 at Hamilton East. Southland had an unusually sunny month for that part, Invercargill reporting 230·1 hours. There was slightly less than the average in Canterbury and Westland.

Pressure Systems.—There were only three disturbed periods during the month. The first was from the 4th to the 5th. A deep westerly depression passed in the south on the 4th, and a shallow one crossed the central portion of the Dominion on the 5th. A somewhat similar sequence of events occurred during the 6th to the 9th, the second depression on this occasion being rather deeper and taking a more southerly course. Except in the north-eastern portion of the North Island, these disturbances each brought almost general rains, with many heavy falls. The rain was very beneficial after the preceding dry and warm spell.

From the 10th to the 21st high pressure and anticyclonic conditions prevailed. The weather was almost continuously fine and very warm.

H