CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued

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

LATE RETURNS

| Te Paki, Te Hapua, Nov., 1953 | 200 | 68·6 | 55·1 | 61·8 | (+1·8) | 73·1 | 29 | 42·7 | 16 | 5·13 | 12 | (+2·02) | 1·17 | 8 | 193·9 |
| Waipoua State Forest, Nov., 1953 | 225 | 68·0 | 52·3 | 60·2 | +2·1 | 77·2 | 29 | 44·0 | 16 | 3·02 | 9 | –1·39 | 0·90 | 8 | 140·8 |
| Paerata, Nov., 1953 | 166 | 68·2 | 52·3 | 60·2 | (+1·4) | 76·0 | 26 | 41·0 | 24 | 2·44 | 15 | –0·80 | 0·54 | 8 | … |
| Lake Waikaremoana, Nov., 1953 | 2,100 | 66·3 | 48·9 | 57·6 | +3·6 | 79·8 | 24 | 40·9 | 12 | 1·84 | 10 | –3·79 | 0·53 | 10 | … |
| Taumarunui, Nov., 1953 | 560 | 69·6 | 50·4 | 60·0 | (+2·9) | 78·5 | 25 | 40·0 | 16 | 5·10 | 17 | +0·31 | 1·47 | 10 | 166·8 |
| Cromwell, Nov., 1953 | 720 | 69·6 | 48·3 | 59·0 | (+3·6) | 81·3 | 28 | 32·9 | 11 | 1·19 | 12 | (–0·03) | 0·33 | 13 | … |
| East Gore, Nov., 1953 | 245 | 65·2 | 45·9 | 55·6 | +2·5 | 81·0 | 28 | 33·0 | 11 | 3·65 | 19 | +0·44 | 0·97 | 23 | … |

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 DECEMBER 1953

General.

For the greater part of the country December was cloudy and rather warm. As in the previous month, the weather was unusually dull, wet, and rather unsettled in Westland. In parts of Canterbury a spell of dry weather which lasted a month was brought to an end by heavy rain on the 7th. On the other hand, in the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, and Hawke’s Bay many farmers were complaining of very dry conditions following three successive months of deficient rainfall. Elsewhere the season has been more favourable, and stock was reported to be in good health and condition.

The Buller River was in flood on the 11th; and a local downpour in Sherry Valley, Nelson, caused some flooding in that area on the 24th. The phenomenal flood in the Wangaehu River, which was responsible for the railway disaster at Tangiwai on the 24th, was not due to meteorological causes. A small tornado caused local damage at Palmerston North on the 19th.

Rainfall.

Rainfall was below normal over the provinces of Auckland and Hawke’s Bay, and also over Central Otago. The deficiency was greatest between Dargaville and Kaitaia, where the rainfall was barely one-quarter of the normal value. There was a moderate surplus in an area extending northward from Foxton and Wanganui to National Park and Taumarunui, and also over Westland.

Temperatures.

Temperatures were near to or above normal over the whole country. The departure exceeded 2° F. over almost the whole of the provinces of Auckland and Hawke’s Bay.

A heavy fall of snow occurred in the Southern Alps on the 8th.

Sunshine.

As in the previous month, sunshine was below normal over the greater part of the country. In Westland the deficiency was equivalent to an hour and a half a day. Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula, and the Bay of Plenty were favoured with a small surplus.

Weather Sequence.

On the 1st the provinces of Auckland and Hawke’s Bay received some rain as a trough of low pressure moved slowly north-eastwards off the country. For the next four days an anticyclone centred over the North Island covered the greater part of the country. Showers were reported from the West Coast and also at times in coastal districts from Invercargill to Timaru, but elsewhere the weather was fair or fine. On the 6th a trough of low pressure which was moving north-eastwards became almost stationary near Cook Strait. Rain spread to the remainder of the South Island and was exceptionally heavy in parts of Westland, causing slips and washouts on the Greymouth-Westport highway. There was also a heavy fall of snow in the Alps, while light rain extended to southern and eastern districts of the North Island.

On the 7th the weather commenced to clear from the south. On the 8th and 9th, however, many eastern and northern districts of the North Island were still experiencing showery conditions. Rain then set in again on the West Coast as a very deep depression, the first of a series of three, passed far to the south. During the next three days the other depressions passed to the south-west, while a trough of low pressure moved slowly eastwards across the country accompanied by a band of moderate rain in most districts; in Otago and Canterbury, however, falls were mainly light.

By the 13th showers were confined mainly to Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, and coastal Otago. The 14th was temporarily fair throughout the whole country, but on the 15th there was a period of general rain accompanying a south-westerly change. On the following day the weather again cleared temporarily, except on the West Coast. On the 17th there was another general south-westerly change, associated with depressions to the south and east of the South Island, and all parts of the country again received some rain. South-westerly winds persisted for three more days. On the 18th cool showery weather prevailed over the whole country, but on the 19th and 20th showers were confined mainly to Westland, Otago, and Southland, while temperatures became considerably warmer in eastern districts of the North Island. On the following day a depression to the south of Southland moved north-eastwards. The associated trough of low pressure became almost stationary across Westland and Marlborough for a time and remained over the country for several days. This was a period of unsettled weather in most districts. There were some considerable falls in Westland and the central provinces on Christmas Day as a depression moved across the South Island, and the Buller River was soon in flood. Conditions improved from the south during the 26th as pressures rose.

For the last five days of 1953 an anticyclone covered the greater part of the country, and the weather was fair or fine in most districts. However, two weak disturbances brought light rains to parts of Otago and Southland on the 28th and 31st.

R. G. SIMMERS, Acting Director.

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