25 SEPT.]

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued
Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for August 1952—continued

Air Temperatures in Degrees (Fahrenheit).
| Station. | Height of Station above M.S.L. | Means of A Max. | B Min. | Mean of A and B. | Difference From Normal. | Absolute Maximum and Minimum. | Date. | Total Fall. | Date. | No. of Rain Days. | Difference From Normal. | Maximum Fall. Amount. | Date. | Bright Sunshine. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Akaroa | ... | 150 | 53·0 | 41·8 | 47·4 | +1·0 | 69·5 | 23 | 33·0 | 18 | 5·61 | 14 | (+1·63) | 2·23 | 9 | 110·5 |
| Lincoln | ... | 36 | 52·5 | 37·0 | 44·8 | +1·7 | 62·0 | 21 | 23·8 | 2 | 2·92 | 19 | +0·84 | 0·66 | 14 | 118·1 |
| The Hermitage | ... | 2,510 | 48·8 | 31·9 | 40·4 | +2·4 | 60·0 | 26 | 23·0 | 7·8 | 1·12 | 5 | -11·31 | 0·50 | 14 | 100·1 |
| Winchmore | ... | 626 | 52·0 | 34·8 | 43·4 | (+1·1) | 63·2 | 25 | 23·1 | 8 | 3·66 | 13 | (+1·79) | 0·87 | 13 | ... |
| Haast | ... | 15 | 57·0 | 41·1 | 49·0 | (+3·1) | 65·3 | 28 | 31·1 | 9 | 0·59 | 8 | (-13·71) | 0·22 | 20 | 145·5 |
| Ashburton | ... | 323 | 53·9 | 35·1 | 44·5 | +0·8 | 68·0 | 26 | 22·6 | 8 | 3·71 | 12 | +1·39 | 1·23 | 9 | 125·9 |
| Fairlie | ... | 1,004 | 52·8 | 26·0 | 39·4 | -0·8 | 64·0 | 26 | 11·0 | 8 | 2·56 | 11 | +0·66 | 1·75 | 9 | ... |
| Lake Tekapo | ... | 2,400 | 48·8 | 30·0 | 39·4 | +2·0 | 60·5 | 26 | 16·3 | 8 | 0·81 | 8 | -0·97 | 0·54 | 9 | 137·6 |
| Timaru | ... | 56 | 52·6 | 33·5 | 43·0 | -0·8 | 63·6 | 22 | 25·5 | 8 | 1·45 | 8 | -0·01 | 0·47 | 9 | 106·7 |
| Adair | ... | 200 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Tara Hills | ... | 1,600 | 50·0 | 29·8 | 39·9 | (-0·9) | 60·3 | 26 | 19·5 | 8 | 0·48 | 6 | (-0·85) | 0·29 | 9 | 143·4 |
| Milford Sound | ... | 20 | 53·7 | 34·5 | 44·1 | -0·9 | 60·0 | 11 | 29·1 | 8 | 1·92 | ... | -15·28 | ... | ... |
| Waimate | ... | 200 | 54·3 | 35·7 | 45·0 | +0·6 | 65·0 | 22 | 24·0 | 4 | 2·43 | 9 | +0·72 | 1·12 | 9 | 119·6 |
| Queenstown | ... | 1,100 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Cromwell | ... | 720 | 53·4 | 30·8 | 42·1 | (+1·2) | 61·1 | 24 | 19·6 | 8 | 0·01 | 1 | -0·84 | 0·01 | 31 | ... |
| Ophir | ... | 1,000 | 52·6 | 26·3 | 39·4 | -0·2 | 65·7 | 26 | 15·0 | 8 | 0·30 | 3 | -0·48 | 0·19 | 14 | ... |
| Earnscleugh | ... | 500 | 53·2 | 28·4 | 40·8 | +0·1 | 65·8 | 26 | 17·5 | 8 | 0·07 | 1 | -0·58 | 0·07 | 4 | ... |
| Waipiata | ... | 1,550 | 50·2 | 31·4 | 40·8 | +1·1 | 63·5 | 25 | 20·0 | 8,9 | 0·53 | 7 | -0·50 | 0·10 | 14 | 150·1 |
| Alexandra | ... | 520 | 53·7 | 30·8 | 42·2 | +0·8 | 65·2 | 26 | 20·3 | 8 | 0·03 | 2 | -0·60 | 0·02 | 5 | 141·6 |
| Roxburgh Hydro | ... | 350 | 55·5 | 34·7 | 45·1 | ... | 67·6 | 26 | 24·7 | 5 | 0·01 | 1 | (-0·96) | 0·01 | 5 | ... |
| Mid Dome | ... | 1,252 | 52·6 | 33·6 | 43·1 | ... | 60·0 | 22 | 24·0 | 6,7 | 0·17 | 2 | ... | 0·10 | 13 | ... |
| Moa Flat, West Otago | 1,345 | 50·8 | 34·3 | 42·6 | ... | 60·0 | 26 | 25·5 | 7 | 0·16 | 5 | (-1·57) | 0·05 | 13 | ... |
| Manorburn Dam | ... | 2,448 | 47·0 | 28·0 | 37·5 | +3·5 | 57·5 | 26 | 16·0 | 8 | 0·03 | 2 | -0·95 | 0·02 | 28 | ... |
| Taieri | ... | 80 | 54·2 | 32·7 | 43·4 | (-0·3) | 65·8 | 25 | 23·2 | 8 | 2·18 | 11 | (+0·44) | 1·24 | 9 | 149·6 |
| Musselburgh, Dunedin | 5 | 52·4 | 39·4 | 45·9 | +0·4 | 61·0 | 22 | 31·3 | 5 | 2·56 | 11 | +0·48 | 1·29 | 9 | 133·7 |
| East Gore | ... | 245 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Gore | ... | 240 | 55·7 | 36·5 | 46·1 | +3·1 | 67·0 | 26 | 25·5 | 8 | 0·26 | 5 | -1·81 | 0·10 | 10 | 131·9 |
| Otatua | ... | 180 | 53·6 | 33·7 | 43·6 | (+0·6) | 63·1 | 24 | 19·2 | 8 | 0·32 | 7 | (-2·49) | 0·11 | 22 | ... |
| Pebbly Hills | ... | 150 | 54·9 | 33·4 | 44·2 | ... | 65·0 | 26 | 21·0 | 8 | 0·26 | 7 | (-2·36) | 0·09 | 21 | ... |
| Invercargill South | 8 | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Invercargill Airfield | 0 | 53·4 | 34·1 | 43·8 | +0·8 | 63·6 | 26 | 21·9 | 8 | 0·26 | 9 | -2·68 | 0·07 | 22 | 103·1 |

LATE RETURNS
Waihi, July 1952 ... | 354 | 54·7 | 36·3 | 45·5 | -2·2 | 61·0 | 5 | 24·3 | 25 | 3·32 | 11 | -6·46 | 1·16 | 19 | 144·4 |
Appleby, Nelson, July 1952 | 57 | 52·7 | 33·0 | 42·8 | -2·2 | 55·8 | 1 | 27·9 | 15 | 1·93 | 6 | (-1·49) | 1·15 | 19 | ... |

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. Rainfall normals have been revised and now refer to the standard period 1921–1950. Where observations are not available for the whole period, or where the site of the raingauge has been changed, the normals are partly interpolated.

NOTES ON THE WEATHER FOR AUGUST 1952
General.—August was a mild month with an unusual persistence of winds from an easterly quarter. As a result some eastern districts had a very high rainfall, while Westland and Southland had scarcely any rain at all.
High rainfall on the east coast in the lambing season would normally be most unwelcome, but with the prevailing mild temperatures, losses were small and these were more than compensated for by the excellent pasture growth so early in the season.
After two months of dry weather in Westland the risk of serious forest fires was becoming increasingly great.
Rainfall.—The past month was easily the driest August on record in Westland, Southland, and Central Otago, actually for that area it is over forty years since a lower rainfall was recorded in any month. Between Cromwell and Wanaka there was no measurable rain at all. Rainfall was slightly below normal in Nelson and from Wellington through the Manawatu and Taranaki to the Waikato, also on the western slopes of the Raukumara Range.
At the other extreme, the high rainfall near Kaikoura was also a record for August. Other districts with a substantial excess were North Canterbury, Marlborough, Hawke's Bay, and the east coast of the Wellington Province.
Local flooding of a minor nature occurred in the Auckland Province on the 4th, and along the east coast on the 9th to 10th and the 14th.
Temperatures.—Conditions were very mild in the provinces of Auckland and Westland with mean temperatures 2–3 degrees above normal. Elsewhere mean temperatures were also above normal, mostly by about one degree. Frosts were much less frequent than usual.
Sunshine.—From Taranaki to the Manawatu and in South Westland the duration of bright sunshine was slightly in excess. Elsewhere it was below normal with a deficiency of at least an hour a day in eastern districts from Canterbury to Gisborne. In spite of negligible rainfall in North Westland and Southland, the sunshine did not quite reach the average.
Weather Sequence.—At the beginning of the month an intense anticyclone was moving slowly eastwards across the South Island and the weather was fine over most of the country. In Northland, however, unsettled easterly weather prevailed under the influence of a shallow disturbance located to the north. Widespread heavy rain occurred over the Auckland Province on the 3rd and 4th, and rain gradually extended as far as Hokitika and Christchurch as the northern disturbance advanced slowly southwards over the North Island.
With the advance of an anticyclone across the South Tasman Sea on to the South Island, southerly to south-easterly winds prevailed on the 6th, becoming strong for a time in exposed positions
from Cook Strait northwards. The weather remained unsettled in Northland and in eastern districts southwards to Banks Peninsula, but it became fine elsewhere by the 7th.
With the approach of an active depression from the north there was a rapid deterioration on the 8th. Easterlies increased to gale force and heavy rain fell over most of the Auckland Province. Rain soon extended to other districts though the weather remained fine in the south and south-west. The southern advance of the depression was arrested near Cape Egmont where, decreasing in intensity, it turned north-eastwards and passed across the centre of the North Island on the 10th. A shallow trough remained across the southern part of the North Island where a new depression developed on the 13th, coincident with the arrival of a cold front from the south. Although conditions had improved somewhat in the far north on the 12th, rain continued to fall intermittently over the greater part of the country, with the exception of western and southern districts of the South Island.
When the low-pressure system over the North Island began to move away slowly eastwards, conditions showed a further improvement, and by the 17th showers were confined to Hawke's Bay and the Gisborne area. The clearance also extended to these districts with the passage of an intense anticyclone across the Dominion on the 18th.
After the spell of cool south-easterlies, winds turned north-easterly over the South Island on the 19th. Scattered light rain developed on the west coast with the advance of an extensive trough across the Tasman Sea.
Barometric pressures remained high to the east of the country, while the trough over the South Tasman Sea became very weak. Further north, however, a shallow depression formed within the trough and moved slowly eastwards, passing north of the Dominion on the 23rd. On the previous day north-easterlies had become general. Some scattered light rain occurred in the far south-west while the weather continued dull and unsettled in eastern districts of the Auckland Province, apart from a temporary clearance on the 25th. Elsewhere it remained fine and mild.
On the 27th an occlusion, associated with a large and complex depression over the central Tasman Sea, moved south-eastwards over the Auckland Province preceded by a belt of heavy rain and strong north-easterly winds. Next day rain spread southwards as far as Nelson and Canterbury, while some heavy falls occurred in Hawke's Bay. By the 29th when the low-pressure centre moved slowly eastwards across the North Island, the occlusion had become very diffuse. Winds turned south-easterly north of Cook Strait, and the weather remained dull and unsettled in eastern districts. Occasional showers were also reported from most other places except Westland and Southland, though some light drizzle developed on the Southland Coast towards the end of the month.
M. A. F. BARNETT, Director.
[N.Z. Met. S. Misc. Pub. 107]