4 MAY

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE

993

CLIMATOLOGICAL TABLE—Summary of the Records of Temperature, Rainfall, and Sunshine for March 1972—continued

LATE RETURNS

| Tarawera, February 1972 .. | 61 | 25.2 | 9.9 | 17.6 | 0.0 | 29.5 | 27 | 1.6 | 7 | 25 | 8 | —138 | 7 | 23 | .. |
| Whatawhata, January 1972 | 104 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 215 |
| Whatawhata, February 1972 | 104 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 238 |
| Moa Creek, February 1972 | 427 | 22.6 | 5.1 | 13.9 | +0.1 | 26.6 | 25 | —0.4 | 6 | 8 | 3 | —35 | 5 | 8 | .. |

Erratum—
Patons Rock, Takaka February 1972

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.

*The sunshine recorder is not located at the station but is in the near vicinity.

A “rain day” is equal to or greater than 0.1 mm.

NOTES ON THE WEATHER FOR MARCH 1972

General—This was the wettest March for at least 50 years over the North Island. It was also generally warm and cloudy. South of Auckland winds from a westerly quarter were more frequent than usual. The warm wet weather was generally appreciated by farmers after the dry weather of February, and good growth was reported. However, in Bay of Plenty, the persistent rain reduced dairy production at times; while in Canterbury conditions remained very dry with stock short of feed in some areas.

Rainfall—Over the North Island rainfall was two-and-a-half times the normal value. Bay of Plenty and most of Waikato and Auckland had more than three times. Greatest excesses were recorded between Tauranga and Whakatane; near the tip of the Coromandel Peninsula; and on the east coast, north of Auckland from Warkworth to Waipu. In these areas the totals of 300–700 mm were the highest ever for March.

In the South Island rainfall was mainly above normal, being more than double in Fiordland, parts of Southland, and parts of Nelson. However, it was below normal in Canterbury, being less than one-half in some inland areas.

In northern districts of the North Island 90 percent of the rain fell in one week, from the 4th to the 10th, with a trough of low pressure stationary from west to east over the area. Stony Bay on Coromandel Peninsula received a total of 661 mm for the month, of which 605 mm fell during this week. The worst flooding reported was in Bay of Plenty, on the Rangitaiki Plains.

Temperatures—Temperatures were above normal by 1–2°C with highest departures in the east from Canterbury to Southern Hawke’s Bay.

Sunshine—Sunshine was below normal by 30–50 hours west of the main ranges and over most of Southland. Greatest deficiencies were recorded in Northland and Auckland. The only area favoured with sunshine appreciably above normal was the Kaikoura coast with part of coastal Canterbury.

Weather Sequence—On the first 2 days of the month a large anticyclone extended across New Zealand with centres to the west of the South Island and to the north-east of the North Island, and the weather was fine.

On the 3rd a complex trough of low pressure moved on to the country associated with a depression to the west of Southland. Rain commenced in Northland and Auckland and on the West Coast. The period from the 4th to the 10th was one of particularly persistent rain over northern and eastern districts of the North Island as the northern part of the trough became stationary through Auckland to East Cape owing to the presence of a depression to