Nov. 20]

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

1819

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued

Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for October, 1947—continued

LATE RETURNS

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.

WEATHER SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, 1947

General.—During October depressions passed over or formed near New Zealand in almost unbroken succession. In consequence, there was little settled weather, and the month as a whole was dull and wet. Crops and pastures are coming on well, although in many places grass growth has been rather soft on account of the high rainfall. Stock is in good condition, but some lambs were lost in Canterbury during the snowstorm near the end of the month.

Rainfall.—Except for small deficiencies in North Auckland, in parts of Hawke’s Bay, and west of the Southern Alps, the rainfall was well above average. Over double the average amount fell in coastal districts of Otago and Canterbury and about Wellington City. In the Cashmere Hills and near Palmerston new October records were established.

Temperatures.—Mean temperatures were a little below average in eastern parts of Canterbury and Otago, and about a degree above average in the provinces of Wellington and Hawke’s Bay. Elsewhere departures from normal were very small.

A relatively warm spell from the 19th to the 26th was offset by two very cold spells near the middle and end of the month, during which there were substantial falls of snow to low levels in the South Island and also on the high country of the North Island.

Sunshine.—Only in the Gisborne District was the amount of bright sunshine above average. In most places the totals were substantially below the average, the provinces of Taranaki, Wellington, and Nelson being least favoured. For New Plymouth and Nelson the totals were the lowest of any October for over twenty-five years.

Weather Sequence.—Weather conditions were generally unsettled at the beginning of the month, one very active depression moving across the South Island during the 2nd, and another but weaker depression crossing the North Island on the night of the 3rd. Rain was widespread, and some flooding occurred in the Waimea and Wairau Valleys on the 1st and in Coastal Otago on the 2nd. A ridge of high pressure gave a temporary clearance on the 4th.

North-easterlies became strong for a time in the South Island ahead of a small depression, whose centre passed over Southland on the 5th. An active depression which developed next day in the Central Tasman Sea crossed the middle of the South Island early on the 8th and moved away to the south-east. Cold southerlies extended northwards as far as Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay, but the next day winds turned north-easterly with the approach of another depression from the Tasman Sea, whose eastward passage across the North Island during the night of the 10th produced widespread rain from Timaru to Auckland.

On the 12th a depression developed east of Otago, the cold front of which was swept rapidly northwards by an outbreak of very cold air from the south. After a secondary depression had developed over Rotorua on the 13th southerlies rose to gale force in exposed parts of the Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay Districts, while heavy snow fell on the North Island high country. The weather cleared rapidly in West-land, but showery conditions persisted in the east and north until the 15th.

The centre of an anticyclone passed to the north of the Dominion on the 16th, while a cold front travelled slowly up the South Island. A wave depression which developed on this front was east of Canterbury on the following morning, causing a brief return to showery south-westerly conditions in most places.

From the 19th to the 23rd barometers remained high over the North Tasman Sea and northern New Zealand, but low to the south. Winds from a westerly quarter prevailed, bringing frequent rains to Westland, occasional showers to Southland and Taranaki, but fine warm weather to other districts.

Following the passage of a weak trough in the south on the 23rd, barometers rose considerably over and to the east of the South Island. Winds gradually turned to the north-east and became strong in many places. A trough brought rain to Southland and Westland on the 25th, but a general deterioration soon followed with the approach of an extensive and complex disturbance from the Tasman Sea. On the morning of the 27th one centre was near the Bay of Islands and another over Cook Strait, while very cold air was sweeping northwards over Canterbury. Southerlies soon became general, rising to gale force in many places south of Napier and bringing heavy snow to the high country of the North Island and down to low levels in Canterbury and Otago. The weather cleared in Westland on the 28th, but the formation of a new depression off the east coast ensured the continuance of changeable showery conditions elsewhere.

At the close of the month a weak cold front was travelling rapidly northwards over the North Island. With anticyclones centred south of Stewart Island and north-west of Auckland the weather was becoming more settled.

M. A. F. BARNETT, Director.

Public Trust Office Act, 1908, and its Amendments.—Election to administer Estates

NOTICE is hereby given that the Public Trustee has filed in the Supreme Court an election to administer in respect of the several estates of the persons deceased whose names, residences, and occupations (so far as known) are hereunder set forth :—

Public Trust Office, Wellington, 18th November, 1947.

W. G. BAIRD, Public Trustee.