28 JULY

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

1191

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued

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

*Observations for 25 days only.

LATE RETURNS

The Hermitage, May 1955 | 2,510 | 55·4 | 36·3 | 45·8 | +4·6 | 65·0 | 11 | 27·0 | 23 | 29·40 | 12 | +15·94 | 8·00 | 5 | 89·3
Gore, May 1955 .. | 240 | 55·5 | 38·2 | 46·8 | (+1·7) | 74·0 | 6 | 30·0 | 29 | 3·08 | 14 | (+0·49) | 1·27 | 3 | 121·0

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 1955

General.—Dull, unsettled weather prevailed throughout the month. Several cold spells were particularly noticeable after the mild temperatures in May. Growth ceased abruptly with the onset of the colder weather. Stock were reported to be in good condition over most of the country, but have not fared quite so well in parts of the Auckland Province.

A very deep depression which crossed the country at the beginning of the month caused some heavy rain, with flooding in central Southland and parts of Otago, also in the Wanganui district. Flooding was again reported in South and West Otago on the 10th and 11th. At Wellington on the 13th an unusually strong north-westerly gale caused some damage to property in the city and suburbs. Whirlwinds were responsible for some damage locally at Camerons in Westland on the 16th and at Wanganui on the 22nd.

Rainfall.—Rainfall was appreciably above normal over Southland, the greater part of Otago and Canterbury, about Wellington City, and in South Taranaki and parts of Northland. For Dunedin, with a total of 6·2 in., it was one of the wettest Junes on record.

A few areas in Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, and South Canterbury received somewhat less rain than the normal values.

Rain was more frequent than usual in most districts. At Whangarei rain was recorded on twenty-six days and at Wellington on twenty-five days—for both places the greatest number of rain days ever recorded in June.

Temperatures.—Mean temperatures were below normal by about a degree over most of the North Island and northern districts of the South Island. Elsewhere they were about normal, except in the far north and parts of Central Otago, which were about a degree warmer than usual.

There were falls of snow on the high country of both Islands on the 8th and 9th, and again on the 16th and 17th. On the first occasion snow also fell to low levels over Southland and Otago.

At Cromwell the last four days of the month were exceptionally cold, with air temperature never more than a degree above freezing.

Sunshine.—Sunshine was below normal over most of the country. The departure was greatest in Northland and in inland districts of the South Island. For Waipoua State Forest (Northland) and for Hanmer, Lake Tekapo, and Alexandra it was the dullest June in over twenty-five years of record.

Westland was favoured with somewhat sunnier weather than usual, the departure being mainly about twenty hours.

Weather Sequence.—A depression which moved on to Northland from the Tasman Sea crossed the North Island on the 1st and 2nd, deepening at the same time, and on the following day it was centred off the Otago coast. There was general rain, heavy in western districts of the North Island and in the far south, with flooding in Wanganui and parts of Southland and Otago. Another centre soon formed over the central districts, and as it lost intensity on the 4th and 5th the weather remained unsettled over the North Island but cleared in the south.

On the 6th a depression passed close to North Cape, bringing heavy rain to Northland, and some rain also to South Auckland and to the Hawke’s Bay Province. On the next day pressures fell rapidly in the south, and as a trough of low pressure crossed the country a depression developed to the east. A southerly change swept over the country on the 8th and 9th bringing general rain, with snow to low levels in the South Island and on the high country of the North Island. Cold showery weather persisted in most eastern districts for another two days.

By the 12th a weak ridge of high pressure extended on to the North Island. However, pressures were already falling rapidly in the south with the approach of a depression lying to the south-west of Southland, and the weather soon deteriorated on the West Coast. Rain became general on the next two days with the passage of a trough of low pressure and the formation of a depression east of Canterbury. Showery conditions persisted in western districts in the strong westerly airstream on the 15th, but more general rain and some snow accompanied the passage of a cold front during the following two days.