1224
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
[No. 46

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued
Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for June 1954—continued

LATE RETURN

| Dannevirke, May 1954 | 685 | 59·6 | 42·9 | 51·2 | .. | 66·4 | 20 | 31·9 | 30 | 2·65 | 16 | (−1·18) | 0·76 | 18 | .. |

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 JUNE 1954

General.—Like the previous month, June was comparatively warm; in fact, for parts of the South Island it was the warmest June on record. On account of the predominance of westerly conditions, rainfall was much less than usual in eastern districts. Stock were reported to be wintering well. Growth was good in the mild weather of the first half of the month, but was slowed down considerably by the frosty weather of the second half, especially in the North Island.

During the passage of a deep depression across the South Island on the 16th and 17th north-westerly gales did some damage in the southern half of the North Island, and serious flooding occurred in the Wairau River, Marlborough.

Local whirlwinds were reported on no less than four occasions. On the 17th, at Kiaua, on the Firth of Thames, a house with its occupant was carried fifty yards.

Rainfall.—Rainfall was below normal over the greater part of the Auckland Province, and also in eastern districts north of Dunedin. The deficiency was greatest in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay, which received less than half their usual rainfall. There was a moderate excess in most inland districts of the South Island and on the Southland coast. In the Lakes district of Otago and Southland, and in Fiordland and South Westland, rainfall was two or three times the normal value. For Milford Sound, with a total of 39·92 inches, it was by far the wettest June on record.

On the 12th there were many thunderstorms in the central provinces, with some hail.

Temperatures.—Temperatures were well above normal, especially in the South Island, where the departure exceeded 3° F. in all but a few places. In most inland districts of Canterbury the departure was at least 4°, and in Central Otago it exceeded 5°. For the South Island as a whole it was the warmest June for at least forty-five years.

Snow fell on the high country of both islands between the 12th and the 15th, and again on the 17th and the 18th, when it was reported down to low levels in Otago and Southland.

Severe frosts occurred in most districts from the 19th to the 21st and again from the 28th to the 30th.

Sunshine.—Sunshine was below normal over the greater part of the country. In Westland and at Invercargill the totals were the lowest in over forty years. Near Christchurch, and on the east coast of the North Island, there was a slight surplus, while near Gisborne the surplus amounted to the equivalent of about an hour a day.

Weather Sequence.—For the first five days of the month most of the country experienced fair or fine weather as an anticyclone moved slowly across the North Island. Western and southern districts of the South Island received some rain as a result of the passage of two weak troughs on the 2nd and the 4th.

Rain became general on the 6th with the approach of a deep and complex depression across the North Tasman Sea, and the weather remained unsettled during the passage of several low-pressure centres across the country from the 7th to the 10th.

On the 11th there was a change to westerly conditions, which persisted for about a week. The weather improved at first in eastern districts, but heavy snow was reported from the Alps. On the 12th a very deep depression passed over western Southland, and the associated cold front brought widespread thunderstorms and hail to the central provinces. On the 16th and 17th the passage of a deep depression over the South Island caused north-westerly gales over the southern half of the North Island and heavy rain in Westland and the central provinces, with serious floods in the Wairau and Motueka Rivers. As the depression moved away to the south-east, a cold southerly change swept over the country on the 18th and 19th, with rain in all districts except the West Coast. Snow fell to low levels in the far south and well down on the ranges of the North Island.

From the 20th to the 25th a ridge of high pressure extended on to the North Island from an anticyclone over the North Tasman Sea. For most of the country this was a period of settled weather, with severe frosts on the 20th and 21st. However, pressures remained low to the south and rain was reported frequently from the West Coast and parts of the Southland coast. On the 26th a shallow depression developed on a weak trough moving north-eastwards over the country. There was another southerly change, with rain north of Kaikoura, and snow again on some of the ranges in the North Island. On the 27th an intense anticyclone over the North Tasman Sea again extended on to the North Island, and it moved slowly eastward for the remaining days of the month, while depressions passed far to the south-west. Settled frosty weather prevailed again, except on the West Coast and in parts of Southland, while heavy rain fell at times in Fiordland.

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

M. A. F. BARNETT, Director.