23 JUNE

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

1017

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued

Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for May 1955—continued

• Observations for 26 days only.

LATE RETURNS

| Dannevirke, Jan., 1955 | 685 | 72·9 | 51·6 | 62·2 | .. | 80·9 | 19 | 37·0 | 24, 29 | 0·62 | 8 | (—2·57) | 0·22 | 27 | .. |
| Dannevirke, Feb., 1955 | 685 | 74·0 | 58·3 | 66·2 | .. | 87·4 | 18 | 45·8 | 14 | 3·62 | 16 | (+0·85) | 0·87 | 26 | .. |
| Dannevirke, Mar., 1955 | 685 | 70·0 | 53·4 | 61·7 | .. | 83·9 | 14 | 35·3 | 23 | 1·37 | 11 | (—1·44) | 0·51 | 17 | .. |
| Dannevirke, April 1955 | 685 | 65·8 | 47·4 | 56·6 | .. | 76·7 | 3 | 34·8 | 19 | 5·51 | 14 | (+2·36) | 1·76 | 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 MAY 1955

General.—May was the seventh month of an unusually lengthy warm spell which had commenced in November 1954. It was the first time since 1938 that temperatures had been above normal for so many months. The combination of mild weather with adequate rainfall proved beneficial, and in most districts good growth was reported. However, in one or two areas, especially the Kaikoura Coast, conditions were considered to be too dry.

Northerly gales which affected most of the South Island on the 19th were particularly strong in Dunedin and caused some damage there.

Rainfall.—Rainfall was appreciably above normal in northern, western, and inland districts of the South Island, and also in western districts of the North Island as far north as New Plymouth. Most of inland Canterbury and Central Otago received more than double the normal rainfall. There was a deficiency of more than 50 per cent in eastern districts from East Cape to north of Christchurch; Gisborne, Napier, and Kaikoura all received less than an inch. Rainfall was also somewhat below normal over the Auckland Province.

Some very heavy rain was recorded in western and northern districts from Taranaki to Westland during a spell of northerly winds from the 4th to the 8th. Local flooding was reported in many districts, but was especially serious in Greytown, Wairarapa, and in parts of Marlborough, including Picton. An exceptional fall of one and a quarter inches in an hour at Wellington on the 4th caused brief flooding in the city streets. In parts of Nelson and Westland roads were blocked by slips and several bridges were carried away.

Temperatures.—Mean temperatures were above normal over the whole country, mainly by about 3 degrees.

A wintry spell accompanied a southerly change on the 22nd, with snow on some of the mountains in the North Island.

Sunshine.—Sunshine was appreciably below normal over the provinces of Auckland, Taranaki, Nelson, and Westland. The deficiency exceeded an hour a day over most of the Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, and Northland. Eastern and inland districts from Hanmer to Invercargill were favoured with a small surplus.

Weather Sequence.—On the 1st and 2nd an anticyclone over the Tasman Sea moved rapidly across Northland, and the weather was fair apart from a few showers in coastal districts. A deterioration occurred during the next few days as a depression became almost stationary off the West Coast and a trough of low pressure moved northward over the South Island. There was moderate rain as far north as New Plymouth, with some particularly heavy falls in Westland and the Alps. A moist north-westerly airstream now covered the country, and it persisted from the 5th to the 7th during the southward movement of another deep depression over the Tasman Sea. The weather remained unsettled in western districts as far north as Taranaki and also about Cook Strait with some further heavy rainfalls, and there was light rain at times in coastal districts from Christchurch to Invercargill. A trough of low pressure which crossed the country on the 8th brought rain mainly to the far south, the West Coast, and the Auckland Province.

The weather cleared on the 9th under the influence of a large anticyclone over the Tasman Sea, and as it moved slowly across New Zealand nearly all districts experienced a welcome spell of six days of fine sunny weather. However, a depression over the North Tasman Sea caused showery conditions at times on the north-east coast of the Auckland Province, and a few showers were also reported in the far south-west. A general deterioration occurred on the 15th with the southward movement of the depression in the north and the formation of another depression off the coast of Westland. Most districts received some rain, and there were heavy falls in parts of Northland. Strong