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THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE No. 26

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE-Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for April 1965-continued

Supplementary data, sunshine: Foxton, .. hrs.

LATE RETURNS

The "normal" refers to the present site of the instruments. The standard periods for normals are: for temperature 1931-60, for rainfall 1921-50, and for sunshine 1935-60. No normals are available for stations with only short records.

NOTES ON THE WEATHER FOR APRIL 1965

General: April was comparatively sunny over most of the country and also drier than usual in many districts. The weather was particularly settled from the 13th to the 22nd.

Generally, it was a very good month for farming, with excellent growth for the time of the year. However, in parts of Nelson and Marlborough the weather was too dry; and in parts of Southland at the end of the month conditions were too cold and too wet.

South-westerly gales caused some damage on the 26th, especially in Southland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay, Waikato, and Auckland.

Rainfall: Over nearly the whole of the North Island and in western, northern, and most inland districts of the South Island rainfall was below average, mainly by about 25 per cent. In northern Northland, coastal Bay of Plenty, and Manawatu the deficiency was more than 50 per cent. In eastern districts of the South Island, including eastern Southland, rainfall was mainly above average by about 50 per cent. It was a particularly wet month for parts of North Canterbury, with more than double the normal rainfall.

Temperatures: Mean temperatures were mainly close to average. However, in Southland and parts of Otago and also in eastern Northland they were 1-2 degrees below average.

Snow was reported on the high country of the South Island about the 7th; and there were fairly frequent falls on the high country of both Islands during the last week of the month.

Sunshine: Most of the country was favoured with more sunshine than usual. The surplus was about 40 hours in Taupo, Gisborne, and coastal Bay of Plenty; but in Northland it amounted to 50-75 hours. On the other hand, Southland and coastal Otago received 30-70 hours less sunshine than normal.

Weather Sequence: On the 1st a weak trough of low pressure brought some rain to the Cook Strait area. During the next two days a small depression passed to the south-west of the South Island, and its associated trough of low pressure brought rain to the Alps, the West Coast, and the Southland coast. Pressures soon rose, with mainly settled weather on the 4th and 5th, but some rain was reported in the Rotorua-Taupo area.

From the 6th to the 8th a cold front moved north-eastwards over New Zealand as far as Hamilton, accompanied by a period of rain, with snow on the South Island high country. With a depression to the north-east and anticyclones over the Tasman Sea and to the east of the South Island, the front now became stationary for two days, with rain in many parts of the North Island and in the northern half of the South Island. Winds were mainly easterlies. As the depression moved southward and deepened, winds became south-easterly on the 11th and 12th and rain was restricted mainly to eastern districts of both Islands, heavy in the North Canterbury-Kaikoura area.

The 13th to the 22nd was a period of settled weather over the greater part of the country. For the first four of these days an anticyclone initially over the South Island moved slowly north-eastward. Pressures remained high over most of the country from the 17th to the 19th but a trough of low pressure brought some rain to the West Coast and the Southland coast. For the next two days an anticyclone covered the whole country. However, a depression over the south Tasman Sea was approaching New Zealand by the 22nd, with rain once again on the West Coast.

During the next two days the depression crossed the South Island, while the associated trough of low pressure moved over the whole country. Rain was fairly general, with some considerable falls in Westland and inland Canterbury and in the Auckland Province. Snow was reported on the high country. As the depression moved to the east and deepened, winds turned to the south during the 25th and 26th with further general rain and some very strong winds in Southland and the Auckland Province. For the last four days of the month this deep depression was centred far to the south-east, and cold south-westerlies covered the country, with rain mainly in western districts and on the Southland and Otago coasts. Further snow was reported on the high country of both Islands.

R. G. SIMMERS, Director.

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

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