19 MAY THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE 655

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for April 1960—continued

LATE RETURNS

Wallaceville, Mar 1960 .. | 195 | 66·1 | 48·6 | 57·4 | +0·0 | 78·0 | 8 | 32·0 | 31 | 3·36 | 16 | +0·51 | 0·76 | 11 | 157
Wakefield, Mar 1960 .. | 200 | 67·7 | 47·5 | 57·6 | .. | 78·7 | 6 | 31·5 | 30 | 5·10 | 13 | .. | 1·17 | 8 | ..

NOTE—At stations where departures from normal have an asterisk, the temperature record has been maintained for less than 10 years, the rainfall record for less than 20 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 APRIL 1960

General: April was dry and sunny, except in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay. Growth was mainly satisfactory, but in some western districts of the North Island it was adversely affected by the exceptionally dry weather. Stock were reported to be in good condition, except that in Gisborne and parts of Hawke’s Bay young sheep were suffering from the wet conditions.

Rainfall: Rainfall was less than half the average value over most of the country. In South Auckland and Taranaki, Nelson, and Marlborough, Central Otago, and the Wellington district it was not even a quarter of the average; and for many stations in these areas it was the driest April on record.

The only parts of the country with rainfall appreciably above normal were Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay. In these areas some stations were twice as wet as usual.

Temperatures: Temperatures were a degree below average over the greater part of the North Island, highest departures being in Northland and Auckland. Southland was about a degree warmer than normal.

Sunshine: Sunshine was above average, except in eastern districts from Gisborne to Wairarapa. The surplus amounted to 40–70 hours on the West Coast; and Auckland’s total of 200 hours made this the sunniest April in 50 years of observations.

From Gisborne to Wairarapa sunshine was 30–50 hours below normal.

Weather Sequence: On the 1st pressures were low to the east, and a trough of low pressure also crossed the country with rain in many districts, especially near the coast. On the following day showers persisted in the south-westerlies on the west coasts of both islands and in Southland. On the 3rd the trough became slow-moving over Northland with showers, which were also still being reported in Southland. During the next two days an anticyclone was centred over Northland but a trough of low pressure brought rain to the South Island, and also to the Wellington and Taranaki Provinces.

There followed next a period of nine days (6–14), the first of two spells of easterly weather over Gisborne and at times Northland, but mainly fair or fine weather elsewhere. From the 6th to the 11th an intense anticyclone moved slowly from the Tasman Sea across the South Island to the Chatham Islands, while pressures were low to the north and north-east. At first only showers were reported from Northland and Gisborne, but rain set in on the 10th with the approach of a tropical storm from the north. On the 12th a trough of low pressure crossed the South Island, followed by rapidly rising pressures. With increasing easterly winds rain became heavy in Gisborne and Northland, spreading also to the remainder of the North Island and the east coast of the South Island. The depression moved slowly south-eastward to the north of the Bay of Plenty, and as it lost intensity on the 13th and 14th rain was restricted at first to coastal districts from Wellington to East Cape and, later only to the Gisborne district.

On the 15th a very deep depression was centred far to the south of Tasmania, and north-westerlies brought rain to the western and