974
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE
No. 46

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for June 1958—continued

† Formerly known as Harewood

LATE RETURN

Dannevirke, April, 1958 .. | 685 | 59·9 | 43·8 | 51·8 | .. | 71·3 | 8 | 31·2 | 15 | 2·34 | 14 | —0·81* | 0·55 | 25 | ..

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 JUNE 1958

General: In contrast to May, June was a sunny month with comparatively low rainfall. A spell of settled weather from the 9th to the 22nd was particularly appreciated. Conditions generally were very favourable for stock.

Gales were reported in many districts on the 1st.

Rainfall: Rainfall was less than half the average value over the greater part of the country. In Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, South Canterbury, and North Otago, totals were mainly less than an inch, and between 10 and 25 per cent of the normal value. For parts of the Gisborne - East Cape area it was the driest June on record.

Totals were not far below average in Taranaki, western districts of the Wellington Province, about Christchurch, and in Southland and South Otago. However, the only areas which received appreciably more rain than usual were Fiordland and Stewart Island.

Temperatures: Temperatures were above normal in most districts. In Southland and inland districts of Otago and South Canterbury it was 2 to 3 degrees warmer than usual.

Snow was reported to low levels on the 7th and 8th over most of the South Island and the central plateau of the North Island.

Sunshine: The greater part of the country was favoured with more sunshine than usual. Highest departures of 30 to 60 hours were recorded about Cook Strait and also in eastern districts from Gisborne to Christchurch. It was the sunniest June on record for Masterton, Wellington, and Blenheim.

In the Auckland Province and Taranaki and in western and southern districts of the South Island (from Timaru southward) sunshine was close to the average.

Weather Sequence: The first eight days saw a continuation of the stormy westerly weather of May. At first an extremely deep depression lay far to the south-east of the South Island and a strong westerly to south-westerly airstream covered the country. Rain affected mainly the West Coast, but there were light falls also in the far south, in Taranaki, and on the west coast of the Auckland Province. Many gales were reported. The passage of an anticyclone across the North Island on the 4th brought one day of fair weather generally, but conditions soon deteriorated again in most districts as a very deep depression passed to the south. The associated trough of low pressure crossed New Zealand from the 5th to the 7th; there were some considerable falls on the West Coast. On the following day a vigorous cold front brought snow to low levels over the greater part of the South Island and on the central plateau of the North Island.

The next fortnight, from the 9th to the 22nd, was a period of settled, sunny weather for most of the country, with widespread frosts. For the first four days of this period an anticyclone, centred at first over Tasmania, moved slowly eastward; some rain was recorded at times on the West Coast and the Southland coast. From the 13th to the 16th a depression, which had formed to the north of Noumea about a week previously, moved south-eastward past North Cape, affecting Northland. For the next three days depressions passed far to the south, and western and southern districts of the South Island received rain. From the 20th to the 22nd an anticyclone covered the whole country, and the weather was fine, apart from some rain in the Waikato - Bay of Plenty area on the 21st.

By the 23rd the anticyclone had moved away to the east and pressures were low to the north-west and to the south-west, causing rain in Northland, Taranaki, Fiordland, and Southland. During the next three days a complex depression from the north-west Tasman Sea crossed the North Island, bringing rain to most districts. Some heavy falls were reported about Cook Strait. Temperatures became colder, with snow well down on the Alps. Conditions improved on the 27th with rising pressures, but a few showers were still reported from the Auckland Province, Taranaki, and the far south.

During the last three days of the month an anticyclone was moving on to the South Island from the South Tasman Sea, while a deep depression was developing over the North Tasman Sea. The weather was fine, apart from rain on the 30th in Northland.

M. A. F. BARNETT, Director.

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