1554
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
[No. 65

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued
Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for November, 1948—continued

LATE RETURNS

| Golden Downs, Aug., 1948 | 900 | 53·3 | 31·1 | 42·2 | —0·6 | 58·3 | 29 | 24·0 | 2 | 2·23 | 9 | (—2·51) | 0·90 | 24 | .. |
| Golden Downs, Sept., 1948 | 900 | 58·8 | 35·1 | 47·0 | +0·6 | 68·3 | 16, 22 | 27·2 | 22 | 2·30 | 8 | (—1·76) | 0·50 | 29 | .. |
| Golden Downs, Oct. 1948 | 900 | 59·1 | 38·4 | 48·8 | —1·8 | 69·0 | 30 | 26·0 | 3 | 4·90 | 16 | (+0·78) | 0·62 | 13 | .. |

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.

BRIEF NOTES ON THE WEATHER FOR OCTOBER, 1948

General.—There was little settled weather in November apart from a short spell early in the month. Growth of crops and pastures has been good, and dairy production figures were very favourable. Frequent rain, however, hindered cultivation and held up shearing.

Rainfall.—For the Dominion as a whole, rainfall was substantially above normal. There were, however, slight deficiencies in Southland, Westland, Buller, Taranaki, and the western part of the Wellington Province. Totals were more than twice the normal in the Otago Lakes District, near the Canterbury foothills, and from Gisborne to East Cape.

The Clutha and Waitaki Rivers were in high flood for several days following exceptionally heavy rains in the southern ranges on the 1st. Milford Sound and the Hermitage measured 9·63 in. and 10 in. respectively for that day.

The 11th to 20th was a very thundery period in the North Island. Hail was widespread on the 16th and 17th.

Temperatures.—Inland districts of Marlborough and Canterbury had mean temperatures, some two degrees below normal. Values elsewhere were also below normal, except for slight positive departures in Westland, the Manawatu, and near Auckland City.

Sunshine.—About Nelson and also east of the ranges from Ashburton to East Cape the duration of sunshine was well below normal, the deficiency amounting to forty hours or more in several places. The totals were above normal elsewhere. Westport, Hokitika, Dunedin, and Invercargill all had the equivalent of an extra hour’s sunshine per day.

Weather Sequence.—An active cold front moved slowly across the Dominion during the first two days of the month. It was accompanied by heavy rains, which were considerably intensified over the southern ranges by the formation of a shallow depression off Westland. The Clutha River rose to its highest level for thirty years, and some surface flooding occurred in the lower reaches. The Waitaki River was also in high flood.

A spell of settled weather began with the arrival of an anticyclone from the Tasman Sea on the 3rd.

Conditions deteriorated in the south and west during the 8th with the approach of a depression, whose centre passed across Southland early on the 9th. The cold front brought rain to all except eastern districts as it travelled slowly north-eastwards. A day later a complex trough which persisted to the rear of the depression also moved north-eastwards, bringing further heavy rain, with some thunder in the south. Winds changed temporarily to the southerly quarter. Except for a brief clearance in Otago, the weather remained unsettled as a new disturbance advanced from the west. After this system had crossed the North Island on the 14th a cool unstable southerly current invaded the country. Showers were persistent, and hail and thunderstorms affected many districts.

With the exception of the Kaikoura coast, the weather cleared in the South Island on the 17th with the passing of an anticyclone in the south.

In the north the improvement which followed was only temporary. Freshening north-easterly winds and increasing cloud on the 19th heralded the approach of a large disturbance from the North Tasman Sea. Rain spread gradually southwards to Canterbury as the main centre advanced slowly across the North Island. When it moved off to the east, southerlies prevailed and light rain then extended also to Otago. Unsettled weather persisted generally, while a shallow secondary centre off Westland filled up slowly.

Behind a weak cold front an anticyclone built up to the east of the South Island on the 25th, and fine weather prevailed over the greater part of the country. Brief rain fell, however, early on the 27th in Otago and Southland during the passage of another weak cold front, which also produced some light falls in parts of the Auckland Province on the following day.

North-westerlies freshened on the 29th ahead of a deep depression advancing across the South Tasman Sea. Accompanied by gales and a broad band of heavy rain, the associated cold front passed rapidly across the country during the 30th. Afterwards showers were frequent in districts exposed to south-westerlies, while a few isolated hail and thunderstorms were recorded.

M. A. F. BARNETT, Director.

RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES OF THE RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND AS AT THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS ON WEDNESDAY, 8TH DECEMBER, 1948

• Expressed in New Zealand currency.

Proportion of reserve (No. 7 less No. 5) to notes and other demand liabilities, 37·264 per cent.

R. W. COX, Deputy Chief Accountant.