CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE--continued

Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for March 1954--continued

LATE RETURNS

| East Gore, Jan., 1954 | 245 | 68·1 | 46·0 | 57·0 | -1·0 | 85·0 | 28 | 36·0 | 8, 16 | 2·44 | 12 | -0·64 | 0·51 | 2 | ... |
| East Gore, Feb., 1954 | 245 | 70·8 | 49·4 | 60·1 | +2·2 | 87·0 | 24 | 35·0 | 28 | 2·85 | 15 | +0·04 | 0·67 | 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 MARCH 1954
General.--March was cloudy and warm. It was also much wetter than usual, especially in the North Island. In most districts the combination of warmth and moisture proved beneficial to pastures and good growth was reported.

A tropical storm passed down the west coast of the North Island from the 6th to the 8th. Auckland Province suffered damage from the north-easterly gales and flooding, while coastal districts as far south as Nelson and Christchurch were also affected.

Rainfall.--Rainfall was more than twice the normal value over the greater part of the Auckland Province, in the Wairarapa, and in the Nelson-Motueka-Takaka area. Elsewhere there was a slight or moderate surplus, except in a few small areas where rainfall was about normal.

For Auckland City the total of 10·54 in. was the highest for March in 100 years of records. At Shaftesbury, near Te Aroha, the total fall for the month exceeded 26 in., nearly all of which fell from the 2nd to the 8th. At Cobb Dam, Nelson, continuous rain for 80 hours from early on the 6th amounted to 26·7 in.; an average intensity of an inch an hour was maintained for 17 hours from 8 p.m. on the 6th.

Thunderstorms were more frequent and widespread than usual. One which was reported from Invercargill on 26th and another at Napier on the 31st were exceptionally violent.

Temperatures.--It was the warmest March since 1938. Temperatures were everywhere appreciably above normal, and the departure exceeded 2°F. except over most of the Auckland Province and on the West Coast. In the last few days of the month a cold front which swept over the country from the south brought a sharp change in temperature, in marked contrast to the previous warm weather.

Sunshine.--Sunshine was appreciably below normal over most of the country. The deficiency exceeded 40 hours over the North Island, excluding Northland, the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, and the Wellington Province. In Gisborne and in coastal districts of Canterbury, Otago, and Southland totals were near to or a little below normal.

Weather Sequence.--On the 1st a belt of high pressure covered the South Island and the area to the east, the main centre being beyond the Chatham Islands. A moist easterly airstream brought welcome rain to the greater part of the North Island, and some
thunderstorms, and there were also light falls on the east coast of the South Island. A tropical cyclone which formed off the Queensland coast moved south-eastwards, causing winds over the North Island to increase and become more north-easterly. By the 6th the cyclone lay just to the west of Northland. As it moved slowly southward down the coast, for three days Auckland Province suffered from heavy rain, accompanied on the 6th and 7th by north-easterly gales which also affected many coastal districts as far south as Nelson and Christchurch. Nearly all parts of the country received some rain. The cyclone lost intensity and it finally moved away on the 9th.

The weather became temporarily fair for two or three days, but on the 12th and 13th there was considerable rain on the West Coast with the approach of an extensive trough of low pressure across the Tasman Sea. As the trough moved over the country on the 14th rain became general and there were thunderstorms in many districts from Marlborough to Auckland City. Conditions soon improved again for three or four days, except on the West Coast where the weather remained unsettled as deep depressions passed to the south-west of the country.

On the 20th a trough of low pressure brought general rain, except from Cape Palliser to East Cape. Showers persisted over the South Island on the 21st in the south-westerly airstream, but on the following day the weather was fair. On the 23rd and 24th another trough associated with a depression to the south moved eastward across the country, and the resulting rainfall pattern was rather similar. Both troughs were accompanied by considerable thunderstorm activity, mainly from Westland to Manawatu. Yet another trough crossed the country on the 26th and 27th, this time causing an exceptionally violent thunderstorm in Invercargill. Most districts received some rain.

Pressure remained low over the country, with an anticyclone stationary near Tasmania. On the 28th the weather deteriorated again in the far south with the approach of a vigorous cold front. During its northward passage over the country in the next two days this front was accompanied by a broad band of heavy rain and also a sharp fall of temperature. The heaviest rain was about Cook Strait and on the east coast of the North Island; in these districts dull wintry conditions with frequent showers persisted into April.

M. A. F. BARNETT, Director,
(N.Z. Met. S. Misc. Pub. 107)