MAR. 20]

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued
Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for February, 1947—continued

| Station. | Height of Station above M.S.L. | Means of A Max. | B Min. | Mean of A and B. | Difference from Normal B. | Absolute Maximum and Minimum. | Maximum Date. | Minimum Date. | Total Fall. | Rainfall in Inches. | No. of Wet Days. | Difference from Normal. | Maximum Fall. Amount. | Date. | Bright Sunshine. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oneputo, Lake Waikaremoana, Jan., 1947 | 2,110 | 69·0 | 50·0 | 59·5 | (-0·6) | 83·0 | 28, 29 | 42·5 | 7 | 5·10 | 11 | -0·94 | 2·26 | 14 | .. |
| Appleby, Nelson, Jan., 1947 | 57 | 70·3 | 52·1 | 61·2 | -1·6 | 86·5 | 28 | 43·0 | 7 | 1·40 | 6 | -1·45 | 0·81 | 9 | .. |

NOTE.—At stations where departures from normal are in parentheses the record has been maintained for less than ten years in the case of temperatures and for less than twenty years in the case of rainfall and the normals are partly interpolated.

NOTES ON THE WEATHER FOR FEBRUARY, 1947

General.—With one notable exception February's weather was fairly settled. A severe storm in the middle of the month caused extensive damage to property. Strong southerly gales which accompanied the storm wrecked havoc among Hawke’s Bay orchards. Crops, vegetables, and power lines suffered badly over the southern part of the North Island. The cold wet conditions during the storm adversely affected stock, and there were some losses among freshly shorn sheep. Although some flooding occurred in the Wairarapa District the rain was in general very beneficial to crops and pastures.

Snow was reported down to the foothills in both islands on the 15th. Rain is still badly needed in Central Otago and over most of the Auckland Province.

Rainfall.—The total rainfall for the month was above normal over the Wellington and Hawke’s Bay Provinces, on the Canterbury Plains, and along the Kaikoura Coast. An exception was a small area centred on Palmerston North. Highest excesses were on the coastal belt from Cape Palliser to Napier, where the rainfall amounted to two or three times the average. Over the remainder of the country totals were below normal, deficiencies being in many places substantial. For some districts this was the fourth consecutive month with deficient rainfall. Noteworthy in this respect were parts of Central and North Otago and the area from Lake Taupo to the Bay of Plenty.

Temperatures.—For the fifth consecutive month mean temperatures have failed to exceed the normal. Departures were small, however, being of the order of one or two degrees. During the second week of the month many places recorded their highest temperatures for the summer. In Wellington the maximum reading on the 13th was the highest since February, 1935. This warm spell was more than offset by the cold storm period immediately following. Light frosts occurred in many districts on the 27th and 28th.

Sunshine.—A preponderance of cloudy days kept sunshine totals slightly below normal in the southern part of the country; elsewhere they were above normal. In west coast districts particularly the month was exceptionally sunny. Although sunshine readings at Westport go back for only ten years, the total of 255·7 hours was 62·9 hours above the next highest value. New Plymouth and Nelson also have not had a sunnier February in the last thirty and twenty-five years respectively.

Weather Sequence.—Barometers were high during the first few days of the month, and fine summer weather prevailed over the greater part of the country. A weak cold front which had moved on to Southland on the 1st advanced slowly northwards. It was followed by cooler temperatures and a period of light rain in the south and in districts east of the ranges. The front dissipated over South Auckland on the 3rd. An anticyclone which had been intensifying on the south was then centred over Canterbury.

On the 6th skies were cloudy over most of the South Island. Light rain fell most of the day in South Westland, and also over the greater part of Otago.

A deep depression sped south-eastwards past Campbell Island on the 8th. Heavy rain fell for a time in Westland and Southland as the cold front associated with this depression moved rapidly northwards over the country. Fresh southerly winds and much colder temperatures followed the frontal passage. Showers persisted for a time on the Southland coast, but elsewhere there was a rapid clearance. In the meantime an extensive depression which was approaching from the north had turned the winds to fresh south-easterlies over the northern part of the country. Under its influence rain fell during the 9th on the east coast of the Auckland and Coromandel Peninsulas and about Gisborne. The weather remained unsettled in the latter area, but there was a temporary improvement in the north on the following day. On the 11th an anticyclone straddled the South Island. The depression which had moved away to a position about five hundred miles north-east of Auckland then began to return slowly towards New Zealand, bringing widespread rain to the northern half of the North Island.

A vigorous cold front which began to move rapidly up the South Island early on the 13th was followed by cold southerly winds and general rain. A clearance in the north due to the filling of the northern depression was only temporary. By the following morning the cold outbreak had extended as far as Cook Strait, while the winds were gradually increasing with the development of a depression east of the South Island. On the afternoon of the 14th barometers fell rapidly with the sudden deepening of another depression over the middle of the North Island. By next morning it had developed into a cyclonic storm of exceptional severity, being at that time centred one hundred miles south-east of Napier. From about New Plymouth and Napier in the north, to Christchurch in the south, strong southerly gales caused considerable damage to property and communications, one gust of 94 m.p.h. registered at Ohakea equalling the highest gust yet recorded in New Zealand. Heavy rain caused minor flooding in the Wellington and Wairarapa districts. Temperatures were very cold, and snow was reported down to the foothills in many places. On the 16th strong winds and cold showery weather still continued, but conditions were gradually moderating. The Gisborne area was the last to clear, showers persisting there until the following evening.

An anticyclone covered the country during the next few days, giving settled weather with rising temperatures.

Early on the 20th a small depression moved rapidly south-eastwards past Stewart Island. A period of rain in Southland and in West Coast districts accompanied the passage of the associated cold front. The strong south-westerlies to the rear of the front soon moderated. Three days’ settled weather followed, as the centre of an anticyclone moved eastwards across the country. On the morning of the 21st skies were overcast east of the main ranges, where some patches of light drizzle were reported.

North-westerlies freshened in the South Island ahead of the next cold front, which reached Invercargill on the morning of the 24th. Heavy rain fell for a time in Southland and Westland, but elsewhere the front produced little or no rain. In its passage across the North Island the front was retarded, due to the development of a small depression which moved away rapidly eastwards from Hawke’s Bay on the 26th. The influence of this depression, combined with the advance of an intense anticyclone on to the South Island, caused a strengthening of the southerly winds and the development of a few showers on the east coast and about Cook Strait. Next day there were still a few showers about Gisborne and the Southland coast, but elsewhere the weather was fine. A weak secondary cold front which moved rapidly northwards on the 28th caused only a few scattered showers along the east coast, but it was followed by a marked drop in temperatures.

M. A. F. BARNETT, Director.

Notice to Mariners No. 4 of 1947
Marine Department,
Wellington, N.Z., 12th March, 1947.

SCHOOL OF NAVIGATION IN WELLINGTON

M ARINERS are hereby advised that a School of Navigation, similar to that in operation in Auckland, has been opened in Wellington. The school is situated in part of the premises occupied by the R.N.Z.V.R. Headquarters.

The scale of fees and the facilities available are in line with those in operation for the Auckland School.

The school is under the direction of Captain H. Boyack, Extra Master, to whom all communications should be addressed.

W. C. SMITH, Secretary.
(M. 16/3/171.)

Notice to Mariners No. 5 of 1947
Marine Department,
Wellington, N.Z., 13th March, 1947.

NEW ZEALAND.—NORTH ISLAND.—NAPIER
Light discontinued
Position : Lat. 39° 29' S.; long, 176° 55' E. (approx.).
Details : Ahuriri Bluff light has been permanently discontinued.

Charts affected : Nos. 2513, 2528, 1212.
Publications : Admiralty List of Lights, Part X, 1945, No. 3972 ; New Zealand Pilot, 1930, page 221 ; New Zealand Nautical Almanac and Tide-tables, Napier plan.

W. C. SMITH, Secretary.
(M. 8/41/2.)