25 FEB.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE 305

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued

Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for January 1954—continued

LATE RETURNS

Otara, Dec., 1953 40 | 71·2 | 56·2 | 63·7 | .. | 80·4 | 9 | 46·0 | 28 | 3·38 | 9 | .. | 1·55 | 11 | ..
Haast, Dec., 1953 15 | 61·6 | 50·3 | 56·0 | (—0·7) | 68·0 | 31 | 40·0 | 19 | 17·48 | 25 | (+4·90) | 2·74 | 10 | 106·9
Frankton Airfield, Dec., 1953 1,144 | 69·6 | 48·3 | 59·0 | .. | 78·3 | 8 | 32·5 | 17 | 2·16 | 12 | .. | 0·63 | 5 | ..

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 rain-gauge has been changed, the normals are partly interpolated.

NOTES ON THE WEATHER FOR JANUARY 1954

General.—Pressures were unusually high over the whole country, and it was a month of dry settled weather. In some districts there was no rain at all after the 10th. By the end of the month the countryside was very parched. Dairy production fell off sharply, but conditions were much better for sheep farmers, though they, too, would have welcomed more rain.

On the 13th and 14th south-westerly gales caused considerable damage in parts of South Otago and Southland.

Rainfall.—Rainfall was mainly at least 50 per cent below normal, and the deficiency exceeded 75 per cent in Hawke’s Bay and in the Auckland Province north of Hamilton and Whakatane. The driest area was around Castlepoint, where rainfall was negligible. Conditions were not generally quite so dry in the South Island, but Christchurch received the lowest January rainfall since 1897.

The only considerable area with rainfall about normal was part of the Gisborne district, and Tolaga Bay actually reported a small surplus.

Temperatures.—Temperatures were above normal over the Auckland Province, except for Gisborne, and also over most inland districts of the South Island. The greatest departures were over the Northland area and in central districts of the North Island, where temperatures were 2° F. warmer than usual. In most remaining districts temperatures were near normal, but they were appreciably cooler than usual about western and southern coasts of the South Island.

Sunshine.—Sunshine was above normal over the southern half of the North Island and over the whole of the South Island except for eastern and southern Southland and Banks Peninsula. Wellington Province and inland and western districts of the South Island were specially favoured with many stations recording a surplus of forty to sixty hours. From the Auckland city northward it was appreciably more cloudy than usual, with sunshine mainly twenty hours below average.

Weather Sequence.—On New Year’s Day an anticyclone centred over the North Island brought fine weather to the whole country. During the next three days a weak trough of low pressure passed northward over New Zealand, accompanied by light or moderate rain in western and southern districts of the South Island and a few brief showers in most other districts. However, rain became general with the passage of two depressions over the South Island on the 5th and 6th; there were some considerable falls on the West Coast.

The weather cleared rapidly as another anticyclone moved on to the country, but on the 7th and 8th there were still a few showers in Northland. On the two following days there was some rain in all districts except Central Otago as another depression moved across the country. With rising pressures conditions improved rapidly on the 11th in the North Island, but weak disturbances still affected the South Island for several days. By the 13th fine weather prevailed except on the West Coast. However, winds from a westerly quarter remained strong in the far south and on the 14th strong gales caused considerable damage in parts of Southland and South Otago.

A large anticyclone which had been approaching from the Tasman Sea moved on to the country on the 15th, and the spell of warm sunny weather which the North Island had been enjoying became general. There were, however, a few showers at first in some districts, chiefly about Gisborne and the Bay of Plenty.

On the 19th and 20th a shallow disturbance brought unsettled conditions in the far south. A tropical cyclone which had crossed Fiji on the 15th was off East Cape at midnight on the 20th moving steadily south-eastward. It brought welcome rain to the Gisborne district.

An anticyclone intensifying over the Tasman Sea began to extend on to the Dominion, but a weak trough, which became stationary for a time, brought light rains to central and eastern districts of the North Island on the 22nd and 23rd. The spell of warm dry weather which had been affecting the greater part of the country since the 11th continued as the anticyclone moved leisurely eastwards across the country. However, a few showers were reported on the Kaikoura coast on the 25th and in the Gisborne district on the 26th, while another weak trough brought light rain and drizzle to southern and eastern districts of the South Island on the 29th and 30th. At the end of the month a tropical disturbance over the Tasman Sea was moving slowly southward, and a moist northerly air-stream covered the country. Continuous rain broke the spell of dry weather in Northland and Westland. Many other districts were welcoming the prospect of rain to relieve water shortages and to restore dried-up pastures.

M. A. F. BARNETT, Director.

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