984

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

[No. 35

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued

Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for May 1953—continued

LATE RETURNS

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 1921–50. 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 MAY 1953

General.—Over the greater part of the country the weather for May was dull, mild, and rather unsettled. In Canterbury autumn sowings of wheat were made under good conditions, and farmers in general regarded the weather as reasonably good. There were a few exceptions, however, chiefly in the southern part of the North Island, where conditions were much too wet for lambs. In the Manawatu-Rangitikei district there was a tendency for low-lying land to become waterlogged. Some minor flooding was reported from Auckland, Waikato, Buller, and Nelson during the month. Gales were reported from Taranaki on three occasions. Local damage was also caused by whirlwinds, on the 27th at New Plymouth and on the 28th in Waikato.

Rainfall.—East of the main ranges and in south Westland rainfall was below normal with a 50 per cent deficiency in northern Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, and parts of Otago, Southland, and north Canterbury. Over the remainder of the country it was wetter than usual, especially about Golden Bay and the Marlborough Sounds, where a few places had double the average rainfall; in fact, in the Sounds it was the wettest May for over thirty years.

Temperature.—Temperatures were close to or above normal over nearly all parts of the country. The departure exceeded 1°F. in North Canterbury, in parts of Westland, and over the northern half of the North Island. South of Dunedin temperatures were colder than usual by more than 1°F.

Sunshine.—Apart from a slight excess in Central Otago and parts of Southland, sunshine totals were well below average. From Buller and Marlborough northwards the deficit was at least 30 hours, while near the Bay of Islands it was 60 hours. For Taranaki and Wellington May was the seventh consecutive month of deficient sunshine.

Weather Sequence.—A depression which was situated west of Northland for a start moved south-eastwards, crossing the North Island on the 2nd. Rain was general as far south as Christchurch, and some heavy falls were reported in east-coast areas from Whangarei to Cape Palliser. Several highways were under water, and flooding occurred in parts of Auckland City. A south-easterly gale caused several power failures in Taranaki.

From the 4th to the 6th an anticyclone travelled across New Zealand, and settled weather prevailed over the greater part of the country. A depression over the North Tasman Sea began to affect the country on the 7th. At the same time a disturbance passed far to the south, and rain soon extended to all districts except Canterbury and Otago. A depression which passed to the south and east of the South Island on the 10th caused gales in parts of Southland and Otago. South-westerly conditions behind this depression brought showers mainly to western and southern districts of the South Island.

A deep depression soon moved across the South Tasman Sea and was off Westland by the 13th. Heavy rain developed in western districts, with some flooding in the Buller area, while from Taranaki came reports of damage from north-westerly gales. Rain spread to the remainder of the country as the depression moved across the South Island on the 14th. Cold southerlies then prevailed and increased to gale force about Wellington and Cook Strait. Heavy rains in this area also caused some minor damage, with brief interruptions to rail traffic owing to slips.

With the advance of an anticyclone from the Tasman Sea the weather began to clear from the west on the 16th, but showery southerly conditions persisted in eastern districts for a further two days. Some unusually severe frosts were recorded in Otago and Southland on the 21st and 22nd.

With the approach of two depressions from the west and north-west respectively the weather began to deteriorate on the West Coast and in Northland on the 22nd. The first crossed Otago and Southland on the 24th, while the second moved slowly southward and eventually passed over the same provinces on the 27th. Many districts were free of rain on the 25th, but otherwise the weather remained generally unsettled during the whole period. Taranaki reported considerable damage from a north-easterly gale on the 26th. In Westland rain was heavy for several days. Flooding was reported from Northland and Nelson on the 26th and from Waikato on the 27th.

By the 29th a ridge of high pressure extended on to the country from an anticyclone over south-eastern Australia, and fair weather prevailed for the remainder of the month. In Northland and Auckland, however, showery weather persisted as the result of the formation of a shallow depression to the east of the North Island. Some scattered light rain was also reported from Gisborne and Westland.

M. A. F. BARNETT, Director.

(N.Z. Met. Misc. Pub. 107)