1814 THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE No. 72

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—continued
Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for October 1955—continued

| Station | Height of Station Above M.S.L. | Air Temperatures in Degrees (Fahrenheit) | | | | | Rainfall in Inches | | | | Bright Sunshine |
| :--- | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: | :---: |
| | | Means of | | Mean of A and B | Difference From Normal | Absolute Maximum and Minimum | | | | Total Fall | No. of Rain Days | Difference From Normal | Maximum Fall | | |
| | | A. Max. | B. Min. | | | Maximum | Date | Minimum | Date | | | | Amount | Date | |
| | Ft. | °F. | °F. | °F. | °F. | °F. | | °F. | | In. | | In. | In. | | Hrs. |
| Darfield | 640 | 65.5 | 42.6 | 54.0 | +2.4 | 77.1 | 26 | 34.2 | 7 | 1.51 | 7 | —1.18 | 0.66 | 4 | .. |
| Harewood | 94 | 63.4 | 44.9 | 54.2 | .. | 79.3 | 31 | 34.5 | 6 | 1.44 | 7 | .. | 0.35 | 15 | 235.1 |
| Christchurch | 22 | 64.2 | 46.2 | 55.2 | +2.1 | 77.5 | 31 | 35.8 | 29 | 1.18 | 7 | —0.77 | 0.44 | 15 | .. |
| Wigram | 74 | 63.7 | 45.5 | 54.6 | +2.2 | 77.6 | 31 | 34.2 | 29 | 1.75 | 7 | (—0.05) | 0.87 | 15 | .. |
| Akaroa | 150 | 63.9 | 47.1 | 55.5 | +1.2 | 78.0 | 31 | 40.0 | 29 | 1.14 | 8 | (—1.30) | 0.37 | 17 | 234.8 |
| Lincoln | 36 | 66.3 | 43.4 | 54.8 | +2.5 | 84.2 | 31 | 30.3 | 29 | 1.29 | 10 | —0.43 | 0.53 | 17 | 246.8 |
| Highbank | 1,102 | 64.1 | 45.2 | 54.6 | .. | 72.3 | 26 | 38.2 | 5 | 1.76 | 5 | .. | 0.83 | 4 | 226.2 |
| The Hermitage | 2,510 | 61.5 | 42.1 | 51.8 | +3.5 | 74.0 | 9 | 32.0 | 5 | 7.54 | 11 | —9.69 | 2.00 | 26 | .. |
| Winchmore | 525 | 64.0 | 42.2 | 53.1 | +2.1 | 73.8 | 31 | 32.0 | 29 | 1.35 | 8 | —0.87 | 0.60 | 5 | .. |
| Haast | 15 | 60.1 | 43.9 | 52.0 | (+0.4) | 64.6 | 30 | 35.2 | 28 | 8.52 | 17 | (—6.52) | 1.93 | 31 | 162.1 |
| Ashburton | 323 | 67.0 | 43.3 | 55.2 | +2.8 | 79.8 | 31 | 34.0 | 29 | 1.19 | 6 | —1.23 | 0.60 | 4 | 232.2 |
| Fairlie | 1,004 | 65.1 | 39.4 | 52.2 | +2.1 | 76.0 | 11 | 30.0 | 24, 29 | 1.90 | 8 | —1.02 | 1.09 | 17 | .. |
| Timaru | 56 | 65.6 | 44.9 | 55.2 | +2.5 | 77.7 | 13 | 36.2 | 7 | 1.20 | 11 | —0.87 | 0.67 | 4 | 208.2 |
| Adair | 200 | 62.0 | 45.2 | 53.6 | (+3.0) | 71.5 | 13 | 38.5 | 7 | 1.06 | 9 | (—0.93) | 0.54 | 4 | .. |
| Tara Hills, Omarama | 1,600 | 65.9 | 38.6 | 52.2 | (+3.2) | 77.6 | 11 | 29.3 | 7 | 0.80 | 7 | (—0.98) | 0.30 | 25 | 190.0 |
| Milford Sound | 20 | 59.4 | 44.7 | 52.0 | +2.3 | 68.3 | 30 | 37.8 | 5 | 10.70 | 19 | —15.14 | 2.02 | 31 | .. |
| Waimate | 200 | 64.4 | 44.8 | 54.6 | +2.4 | 73.0 | 31 | 36.8 | 6, 7 | 1.51 | 10 | —0.60 | 0.39 | 4 | 185.5 |
| Naseby | 2,300 | 61.1 | 37.4 | 49.2 | .. | 73.7 | 10, 11 | 26.0 | 5 | 2.41 | 13 | .. | 0.53 | 22 | .. |
| Frankton Airfield | 1,144 | 64.0 | 40.1 | 52.0 | .. | 75.2 | 11 | 36.2 | 5 | 0.67 | 8 | .. | 0.23 | 26 | .. |
| Queenstown | 1,100 | 63.9 | 43.3 | 53.6 | +3.2 | 73.9 | 11 | 32.1 | 5 | 1.08 | 10 | —2.28 | 0.28 | 17 | 178.4 |
| Cromwell | 720 | 67.0 | 42.9 | 55.0 | (+3.9) | 77.0 | 10 | 29.8 | 5 | 0.90 | 8 | (—0.46) | 0.24 | 25 | .. |
| Ophir | 1,000 | 65.7 | 38.7 | 52.2 | +1.7 | 79.7 | 10 | 24.0 | 5 | 1.98 | 8 | +0.28 | 0.50 | 26 | .. |
| Earnscleugh | 500 | 66.8 | 41.1 | 54.0 | (+2.3) | 79.0 | 10 | 25.5 | 5 | 0.60 | 8 | (—0.61) | 0.13 | 4 | .. |
| Waipiata | 1,550 | 61.7 | 40.7 | 51.2 | +2.3 | 75.5 | 10, 11 | 25.2 | 5 | 1.95 | 11 | +0.32 | 0.53 | 22 | 194.4 |
| Alexandra | 520 | 67.9 | 42.6 | 55.2 | +2.8 | 80.2 | 11 | 28.1 | 5 | 0.80 | 10 | —0.42 | 0.17 | 26 | 193.6 |
| Manorburn Dam | 2,448 | 56.9 | 35.4 | 46.2 | +1.9 | 71.0 | 10 | 24.5 | 5 | 1.29 | 10 | —0.39 | 0.30 | 24 | .. |
| Roxburgh Hydro | 350 | 67.8 | 43.1 | 55.4 | .. | 80.3 | 11 | 29.8 | 5 | 0.92 | 9 | (—0.62) | 0.38 | 26 | .. |
| Mid Dome | 1,252 | 63.4 | 41.9 | 52.6 | .. | 72.3 | 2 | 26.0 | 5 | 3.99 | 12 | .. | 1.25 | 26 | .. |
| Moa Flat, West Otago | 1,345 | 60.6 | 41.3 | 51.0 | .. | 71.1 | 10 | 31.2 | 5 | 2.60 | 15 | (+0.21) | 0.74 | 26 | .. |
| Mossburn | 961 | 62.0 | 42.2 | 52.1 | .. | 71.4 | 9 | 27.5 | 5 | 2.36 | 13 | .. | 0.87 | 26 | .. |
| Taieri | 80 | 62.7 | 43.3 | 53.0 | (+1.9) | 72.2 | 2 | 31.8 | 5 | 3.31 | 14 | (+1.25) | 0.86 | 26 | 169.5 |
| Musselburgh, Dunedin | 5 | 61.5 | 46.5 | 54.0 | (+1.4) | 74.5 | 31 | 38.5 | 5 | 3.61 | 14 | +1.24 | 0.90 | 26 | 167.0 |
| Tapanui | 550 | 64.1 | 43.1 | 53.6 | .. | 76.9 | 2 | 32.3 | 5 | 4.00 | 16 | .. | 1.04 | 26 | .. |
| East Gore | 245 | 64.6 | 42.9 | 53.8 | +3.1 | 77.0 | 2 | 34.0 | 5 | 3.47 | 16 | +0.62 | 1.16 | 26 | .. |
| Gore | 240 | 65.2 | 43.4 | 54.3 | (+3.3) | 76.0 | 13 | 34.5 | 5 | 3.32 | 15 | (+0.47) | 1.01 | 26 | 173.0 |
| Otautau | 180 | 63.1 | 43.1 | 53.2 | (+3.0) | 75.0 | 30 | 33.3 | 19 | 3.96 | 14 | (+0.35) | 1.36 | 26 | .. |
| Pebbly Hills | 150 | 64.3 | 42.7 | 53.5 | .. | 78.0 | 30 | 32.5 | 5 | 4.90 | 14 | (+1.97) | 1.29 | 23 | .. |
| Invercargill South | 8 | 62.9 | 45.5 | 54.2 | +3.5 | 77.8 | 2 | 35.0 | 5 | 4.49 | 17 | (+0.94) | 1.25 | 26 | .. |
| Invercargill Airfield | 0 | 60.9 | 43.8 | 52.4 | (+3.2) | 73.9 | 2 | 34.2 | 5 | 4.34 | 17 | (+0.86) | 1.18 | 26 | 159.6 |

LATE RETURNS

| Karipapanga, Sept., 1955 | 1,600 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 5.40 | 9 | .. | 1.54 | 8 | .. |
| Appleby, Nelson, September, 1955 | 57 | 59.9 | 42.3 | 51.1 | +0.8 | 68.1 | 16 | 32.3 | 4 | 1.11 | 5 | (—2.04) | 0.75 | 26 | .. |
| Molesworth, Sept., 1955 | 2,930 | 55.7 | 34.2 | 45.0 | (+3.6) | 70.0 | 24 | 25.0 | 4 | 1.13 | 4 | (—1.28) | 0.50 | 25 | .. |

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 OCTOBER 1955

General: For the third consecutive month the weather was unusually mild. Rainfall was considered adequate in most districts and growth was reported to be particularly good. Conditions were favourable for lambing, especially in the South Island.

On the 5th unusual thunderstorm activity in Northland caused damage to power and telephone lines, and heavy rains resulted in the flooding of thousands of acres of farm lands in the Dargaville-Kaikohe area. Early on the 18th local heavy rain caused serious flooding at Hunterville in the Rangitikei district and the Main Trunk Railway was blocked for over 24 hours.

Rainfall: Rainfall was appreciably below normal over the greater part of Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa, also over the South Island apart from eastern districts of Otago and Southland. Greatest departures were recorded in the Lakes District and in Marlborough.

It was wetter than usual in Northland and also in Hauraki Plains, Bay of Plenty, and western Taranaki. For central Northland it was an exceptionally wet month, with totals ranging from 14 to over 20 inches. Three-quarters of this rain fell in the first six days. Twenty-four-hourly rainfalls on the 5th in the Dargaville-Kaikohe area ranged from 5 to over 8 inches.

Temperatures: Temperatures were above normal over the whole country, mainly by about two degrees. Departures of over three degrees were reported from the Invercargill-Gore-Queenstown area, which had one of the warmest Octobers on record.

An unusual feature of the month was that in many districts the first half was warmer than the second, mainly owing to the higher frequency of northerly winds.

Sunshine: The Wellington Province and eastern districts of the South Island were favoured with somewhat more sunshine than usual. In the Christchurch-Ashburton area totals exceeded the average by over 40 hours, making it one of the sunniest Octobers on record in that area.

Sunshine was below normal over the northern half of the North Island—by the equivalent of an hour a day in Gisborne, the Bay of Plenty, and parts of Northland.

Weather Sequence: On the first two days of the month the weather was fair and warm over the greater part of the country under the influence of an anticyclone centred to the east. In Northland, however, a depression caused heavy rain, and some lighter falls also extended over the remainder of the Auckland Province. Conditions remained unsettled in Northland with the approach of a deep depression from the west, and as it passed just to the north on the 5th there was further very heavy rain, leading to widespread flooding, and also considerable thunderstorm activity. The remainder of the country north of Christchurch also received an appreciable amount of rain from the 3rd to the 6th, partly on account of the activity of a trough which became stationary through the centre of the North Island. Substantial falls were reported from the Bay of Plenty and from North Taranaki.

From the 7th to the 11th an anticyclone covered most of the country, and the weather was fine apart from some light rain at first in the far south. During the next week, however, a deep and extensive depression over the South Tasman Sea moved slowly across the South Island, while a small depression crossed the North Island. This was a period of unsettled weather, especially in the North Island and northern and western districts of the South Island. Heavy rain was again reported from Northland on the 12th, and local heavy downpours occurred in Auckland and New Plymouth on the 14th. Early on the 18th heavy rain over a period of a few hours led to serious flooding in Hunterville, Marton, and Wanganui.

The weather improved rapidly during the 18th under the influence of a weak ridge of high pressure, but on the two following days some light rain was reported as far north as the Manawatu district during the passage of a complex depression across the South Island. Rather similar conditions were associated with the eastward passage of a trough of low pressure on the 21st and 22nd, but the rain was more general. On the next two days pressure remained rather low to the east and southerly winds predominated, with showers on the east coast of the South Island. On the 25th and 26th rain was again reported from many districts during the passage of a complex depression across the South Island, but the weather was mainly fair on the east coast from Kaikoura to East Cape and in the far north. A few showers were still reported in the south-westerlies on the 27th.

For the last four days of the month the weather was mainly fair, under the influence of an anticyclone over and later to the east of the country. However, the passage of a depression to the north caused unsettled conditions in Northland, and on the 31st the weather deteriorated on the West Coast with the approach of a trough of low pressure from the west.

M. A. F. BARNETT, Director.

[N.Z. Met. S. Misc. Pub. 107]