Aug. 18] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE 1729

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued
Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for July, 1949—continued

LATE RETURN

Balmoral, June, 1949 .. | 743 | 50·0 | .. | .. | .. | 58·7 | 18 | .. | .. | 0·99 | 10 | —1·03 | 0·49 | 23 | ..

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

NOTES ON THE WEATHER FOR JULY, 1949

General.—This month was the mildest July on record. In the first half the weather was dominated by a series of westerly depressions. After the only spell of settled weather, in the middle of the month, a series of wave depressions from the Tasman Sea travelled across the Dominion.

Temperatures in May and June were also above normal. Following three months of mild weather, the countryside has taken on an appearance more appropriate to spring than mid-winter. In some places fruit trees and shrubs are flowering a month ahead of the normal date. Pastures and autumn-sown crops have maintained good growth. In Southland the ground has remained too wet for cultivation.

Rainfall.—In the North Island rainfall was above normal in an area bounded by the Waikato River in the north and the Ruahine-Tararua mountain chain in the east; also in Northern Wairarapa. There was less than half the average rainfall in the eastern part of Northland, the Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay, and Gisborne. In the latter district, it was the driest July since records began over seventy years ago.

It was a wet month in the South Island except for a narrow strip of the east coast, and in parts of Nelson and Marlborough. Prior to the 14th, a number of stations in western districts of the North Island had recorded thirty consecutive rain-days, and a few places as many as forty.

Temperatures.—For the country as a whole it was the mildest July on record. Mean temperatures were well above average; in many places the figures almost reached the average for September. The temperature anomaly exceeded 2°F. everywhere; in Central Otago it was as much as 5°F.

Sunshine.—The duration of bright sunshine was slightly in excess east of the main ranges; elsewhere totals were below average, with a substantial deficit in Taranaki, Manawatu, and the West Coast. Hokitika’s 74·1 hours was the lowest July total since 1917.

Weather Sequence.—For almost the whole of the first half of July a ridge of high pressure lay to the north of New Zealand, while a series of westerly depressions travelled eastwards across the country. For the most part it was a period of very changeable weather with frequent rain, often heavy in the west. East of the ranges, the weather was mainly fair and mild except for some cool rain on the 2nd and again on the 8th, following the passage of two two deep depressions in the south.

After crossing the South Island on the night of the 10th, a vigorous cold front passed off to the north-east on the afternoon of the 11th. Temperatures fell sharply following the change to south-westerly winds and some snow fell in the South Island. There was a rapid clearance on the 14th following the passage of another cold front from the south-west.

Except for overcast skies about the central provinces and some light rain in the Taranaki and Manawatu districts on the 17th and 18th, the weather remained fine while an intense anti-cyclone moved slowly eastwards across the Dominion.

A depression over Victoria on the 19th moved rapidly south-eastwards and passed south of Stewart Island on the 21st. The associated cold front produced heavy and widespread rain except in coastal districts of Canterbury and Hawkes Bay. Due to the formation of a wave depression in the Tasman Sea, this front became stationary for a time over North Auckland before returning southwards as a warm front. After the depression centre had passed over Otago during the night of the 24th, the front again advanced northwards as far as Auckland, while a wedge of high pressure produced a temporary improvement in the South Island. Early on the 27th the front was again over Taranaki on its way southwards, as another wave depression developed in the Tasman Sea. The latter slowly occluded and moved on to the Dominion, while yet another wave on the same frontal system developed off the Australian coast. This third member of the series moved rapidly across the Tasman Sea to pass over the South Island on the night of the 30th. The weather showed little improvement on the 31st, due to the persistence of a shallow low pressure system off Westland.

(M.O.N.Z. 107.) 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, 3RD AUGUST, 1949

• Expressed in New Zealand currency.

Proportion of reserve (No. 7 less No. 5) to notes and other demand liabilities, 41·201 per cent.
W. R. EGGERS, Chief Accountant.