38
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
[No. 4

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

LATE RETURNS

| Waihi, Oct., 1949 .. | 300 | 66·5 | 49·4 | 58·0 | +2·4 | 72·0 | 29 | 36·0 | 4 | 1·92 | 17 | —4·91 | 0·30 | 16 | 181·8 |
| Waihi, Nov., 1949 .. | 300 | 69·1 | 50·0 | 59·6 | +0·7 | 75·5 | 29 | 41·8 | 29 | 6·79 | 13 | +1·69 | 2·10 | 12 | 221·3 |
| Akaroa, Nov., 1949 .. | 150 | 65·4 | 47·4 | 56·4 | (—0·6) | 79·0 | 20 | 37·8 | 10 | 1·57 | 11 | (—1·21) | 0·41 | 6 | 220·6 |
| Cromwell, Nov., 1949 | 720 | 71·9 | 43·8 | 57·9 | .. | 84·2 | 29 | 30·3 | 9 | 0·32 | 5 | .. | 0·15 | 25 | .. |
| East Gore, Nov., 1949 | 245 | 64·3 | 41·3 | 52·8 | —0·3 | 81·0 | 13 | 30·0 | 7 | 1·23 | 10 | —2·20 | 0·41 | 25 | .. |

NOTE.—At stations where departures from normal are in parentheses, the temperature record 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 DECEMBER, 1949

General.—December’s weather was rather cool and unsettled. Rain was frequent, though not excessive, and conditions were in general very favourable for farming. Shearing and haymaking were interrupted in a few places, but crops and pastures benefited considerably. In Canterbury good rains during the first week were particularly valuable. Stock is in excellent condition, the weather being specially favourable for fattening lambs.

Rainfall.—Rainfall was in excess over the greater part of the country, being as much as double the average in South Canterbury. Districts with negative departures included Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, South Otago, Southland, North Canterbury, and eastern districts of the North Island.

Hail and thunder were more frequent than usual, especially in the South Island. In the Temuka District hailstones over an inch in diameter fell on the afternoon of the 10th causing considerable local damage to crops and breaking windows and glasshouses.

Temperatures.—Although temperatures almost everywhere were below the average, the coolness was attributable more to the lack of hot days than of any spell of cold weather. In general, conditions inland were cooler than on the coast.

Sunshine.—The duration of bright sunshine in western and southern districts of the South Island was almost an hour a day below the average, in marked contrast to the record November sunshine in this area. There were slight deficiencies also in parts of Wellington and Taranaki but other districts had a slight excess.

Weather Sequence.—At the beginning of the month New Zealand lay between two large anticyclones, one centred over South Australia and the other far out in the Pacific. The former advanced slowly north-eastwards, gradually losing intensity, and passed north of New Zealand on the 7th. During this period a series of active fronts moved eastwards across the country, providing very unsettled weather conditions with general rain.

Westerly winds rose to gale force in exposed parts of the North Island as a vigorous depression moved rapidly across Wellington on the night of the 7th. As the centre passed off to the south-east winds turned south-westerly and slowly moderated, the weather remaining changeable and showery. In many parts of the country thunder and hail were recorded on several days during the first half of the month. One very violent hailstorm caused considerable damage in the Temuka District on the afternoon on the 10th.

The weather cleared on the 11th as a ridge of high pressure spread over the country. To the south pressures remained low, and a passing trough produced brief rain in western and southern districts of the South Island on the 12th. At the same time a tropical cyclone from the vicinity of New Caledonia moved harmlessly south-eastwards to pass well to the east of the North Island.

With the approach of a disturbance from the west rain again developed in Westland on the 15th, and later extended to other districts as the centre moved south-eastwards across Otago. Cool temperatures followed a change to moderate southerly winds on the 17th.

After a temporary clearance on the 19th, due to a passing ridge, skies clouded over again in the South Island and light rain began to fall intermittently in southern and western districts. All but a few places in the east received heavy rain for a time on the 24th as the first of two deep depressions passed in the south-west. The frontal system associated with the second depression crossed the country on the 26th giving further heavy showers. Thunder and hail occurred in the west and south on the 26th and again on the 27th, but by the latter date fair weather had prevailed elsewhere.

On the 28th an anticyclone moved across to the east of the North Island. During that night a small depression travelled rapidly across the middle of the South Island causing brief but heavy rain south of Taranaki. The cold front of this depression became stationary in the vicinity of Cook Strait causing intermittent rain throughout the 29th and 30th in Nelson, Marlborough, and Wellington. Later it became inactive upon moving further to the north. In the meantime, a wedge of high pressure had built up over and to the east of the South Island, and the weather had cleared.

At the end of the month a new disturbance was advancing across the South Tasman Sea towards the South Island.

M. A. F. BARNETT, Director.

(N.Z.M.O. 107.)

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, 4TH JANUARY, 1950

• Expressed in New Zealand currency.

Proportion of reserve (No. 7 less No. 5) to notes and other demand liabilities, 28·645 per cent.

W. R. EGGERS, Chief Accountant.