CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE--continued

Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for July 1955--continued

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 JULY 1955

General: There was an unusually high frequency of south-easterly winds during July, and as a result it was a particularly wet month in eastern districts. For many parts of Gisborne and Hawke's Bay it was one of the dullest and wettest months on record. In the South Island stock were reported to be wintering well. However, over a good deal of the North Island, especially in the Auckland Province, feed was short, and with little or no pasture growth, stock were in rather poor condition by the end of the month.

Flood waters covered large areas of farm land and disrupted road communications on several occasions. On the 1st and 2nd Wairarapa and Manawatu were affected, on the 14th and 15th Gisborne and Hawke's Bay. From the 21st to the 24th flooding on the Taieri Plains was reported to be the worst for about 15 years.

Rainfall: Rainfall was appreciably above normal in eastern districts from Balclutha to East Cape. Some stations in Gisborne and northern Hawke's Bay received more than three times their usual rainfall. For Wairoa, with 17·6 in., and for Waipukurau, with 10·4 in., it was the wettest July in 27 and 50 years of records respectively.

On the West Coast rainfall was mainly only about half the normal value.

Temperatures: Temperatures were below normal, except on the West Coast and in parts of Gisborne and Hawke's Bay. The departure was greatest in inland districts of the South Island; for many of these it was the coldest month since July 1945. From the 12th to the 14th snow affected many districts from Dunedin to Rotorua. There were some exceptionally heavy falls in the Gisborne hill country and on the central plateau of the North Island.

Sunshine: Sunshine was appreciably below normal in eastern districts from Dunedin to East Cape, and also in inland districts of the South Island and about Cook Strait. For Napier, with a total of 97 hours, it was one of the dullest months on record.

Taranaki and western and northern areas of the Auckland Province were favoured with sunnier weather than usual. For Auckland City the departure exceeded an hour a day.

Weather Sequence A depression which had moved on to North Taranaki from the north-west at the end of June crossed to Hawke's Bay on the 1st and 2nd of July, bringing rain to the North Island and to eastern districts of the South Island. Pressures soon rose to the south, and with the depression to the east on the 3rd a strong south-easterly airstream covered the country, giving further rain.

Some heavy falls were reported in eastern districts, with flooding in Wairarapa and Manawatu. The weather cleared from the south-west during the advance of an anticyclone on to the country in the next two days, and from the 6th to the 8th all districts benefited from a brief spell of fine weather.

On the 9th the presence of a depression over the central Tasman Sea caused a deterioration in northern and western districts, and on the 10th the weather remained unsettled in most of these areas as a deep depression passed far to the south. Rain became general during the next two days with the passage of a cold front, and the temperatures fell sharply. With pressures rising rapidly to the south, a south-easterly airstream soon covered most of the country. There was a clearance on the West Coast even on the 12th, but elsewhere there were several days of cold showery weather with snow down to about 1,000 ft. as far north as Rotorua. The snow was unusually heavy in the hill country of Gisborne; and in this district and in Hawke's Bay widespread flooding was reported. As the anticyclone gradually extended northward over New Zealand on the 14th and 15th the weather improved in most districts, but showers persisted from Cape Palliser to East Cape. The 16th was fair or fine over the whole country.

For the next two days the presence of a depression to the west caused rain in the northerly airstream in the North Island and in northern districts of the South Island, with some heavy falls in the Bay of Plenty. As this depression moved on to Cook Strait on the 19th there was general rain, and on the next day two centres developed. An anticyclone was centred far to the south-west near Macquarie Island, and cold south-easterlies set in once again, with heavy rain in eastern districts, especially on the 21st. There was serious flooding on the Taieri Plains and many roads were under water in this area. The weather had cleared on the West Coast on the 20th. In most other western districts it cleared two days later with the advance of an anticyclone from the south-west. As the anticyclone became centred east of the South Island most of the country was favoured with sunshine until the 28th, but showery weather still persisted from Cape Palliser to East Cape and in parts of Northland.

Over the last three days of the month there was some rain in most districts with the eastward passage of a trough associated with a deep depression over the South Tasman Sea.

M. A. F. BARNETT, Director.

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