26 JAN. THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE 73

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

† Observations for 27 days. ‡ Observations for 26 days.

LATE RETURNS

| Waihi, Oct. 1955 | 354 | 64·0 | 50·7 | 57·4 | +1·7 | 70·8 | 25 | 37·8 | 10 | 1·44 | 20 | +4·14 | 2·52 | 2 | 144·0 |
| Waihi, Nov. 1955 | 354 | 67·8 | 50·5 | 59·2 | +0·2 | 74·6 | 13 | 41·8 | 6 | 3·22 | 16 | −2·20 | 0·69 | 19 | 195·0 |
| Molesworth, Nov. 1955 | 2,930 | 61·7 | 37·8 | 49·8 | −0·6 | 72·0 | 6 | 29·0 | 23 | 1·59 | 10 | −0·50 | 0·54 | 3 | .. |
| Akaroa, Nov. 1955 | 150 | 68·4 | 48·8 | 58·6 | +1·5 | 77·0 | 26 | 39·2 | 12 | 1·48 | 9 | −0·80* | 0·91 | 28 | 252·3 |
| East Gore, Nov. 1955 | 245 | 65·2 | 43·6 | 54·4 | +1·3 | 82·0 | 8 | 34·0 | 20,30 | 3·14 | 16 | −0·07 | 0·50 | 10 | .. |

NOTE.—At stations where departures from normal have an asterisk, 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 1955

General: December was a warm month. An unusual predominance of high barometric pressures was associated with dry, settled weather in central and southern districts. Over most of the South Island pastures were reported to be drying up and rain was badly needed. However, in the provinces of Auckland and Hawke’s Bay feed was still plentiful.

For Northland it was an exceptionally dull and wet December. Flooding was reported over large areas between Dargaville and Kaikohe on the 6th and again in parts of Northland on the 17th and 18th.

Rainfall: Rainfall was less than half the normal value over the South Island, except in Nelson and Marlborough and on parts of the West Coast. In Central and North Otago it was the driest December on record; a few stations in this area reported no rain at all. For most of Northland rainfall was more than double the usual amount. Whangarei’s total of 8·7 in. was one of the highest on record for December. Over the remainder of the country rainfall was close to or slightly below normal.

Temperatures: Temperatures were above normal over the whole country, and the departure exceeded 2° over almost all of the South Island south of Westport and Kaikoura and also over most of the Auckland Province. In Central and West Otago it was the warmest December since 1935.

An unusually cold spell affected most of the country from about the 26th to the 28th. Snow was reported on the ranges of the South Island down to 3,000 ft., and in some inland districts as far north as Canterbury damage to vegetables from sharp frosts was reported.

Sunshine: Sunshine was above normal over most of the South Island, also in Wellington and Taranaki Provinces. For Otago, with departures exceeding 60 hours, it was one of the sunniest Decembers no record. The highest sunshine total was 305 hours, at Queenstown.

It was cloudier than usual over most of the Auckland Province and also in Hawke’s Bay. In Northland it was exceptionally dull, with departures of 60 to 110 hours. The total of 113 hours at Whangarei was one of the lowest ever recorded in New Zealand for December.

Weather Sequence: For the first four days of the month an anticyclone was centred to the east of the North Island, while a depression near Tasmania moved towards Southland. There was rain at times on the West Coast, with some heavy falls on the 1st in Fiordland, and a few showers were also reported about Foveaux Strait. Elsewhere the weather was fair or fine, with warm temperatures in the eastern districts of the South Island. During the 5th and 6th the depression moved across Southland, but it was the slow eastward passage of the associated trough of low pressure which brought rain to most of the country. There were some heavy falls in northern districts of both islands, especially in the northerly airstream just ahead of the trough. West of Kaikohe, in Northland, hundreds of acres of farm land were flooded. In eastern districts of the South Island, however, the weather continued fair and warm. Conditions improved rapidly as the trough moved off the country, and from the 7th to the 12th fine weather again predominated under the influence of an anticyclone centred at first over the South Tasman Sea and later over the North Island. However, showers were reported from the 8th to the 10th in parts of Northland and in the Taupo - East Cape area. On the 13th and 14th pressures were still high over the country and also to the east and south-west, but some light rain fell on the east coast from Christchurch northwards during the passage of a weak trough.

The next four days was a period of unsettled weather over the North Island. Pressures remained high to the east and south-west, while a shallow complex depression at first centred over the eastern Tasman Sea later moved slowly across Northland. Heavy rainfalls were again recorded in the northerly airstream in Northland on the 16th and 17th.