MANY VARIETIES.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19178, 8 December 1927, Page 3

MANY VARIETIES.

WEATHER IN NOVEMBER.

(fkiss issocuTioir' nxßOßiv.)

WELLINGTON, Deoember 7

The following weather summary for November, 1927, ie supplied by the Director of.the Meteorological Office: November is usually a month of rapid air movement and quick changes of weather, but this year it was exceptionally so. It was remarkable also for the number of occasions on which cyclones or centres of low pressure passed either over or in close proximity to New Zealand. At the same time depressions of the "westerly" type were also fairly numerous. In this type no low pressure centre appears on the area covered _by our weather charts, but pressure is low over wide areas to the southwards 1 and westerly winds prevail. . Fluctuations of pressure. are then relatively slight, and, except on the west coast of the South Island . and in Southern Otago, the rainfall is generally light. The most general rains during the month, namely, those of the Ist, sth, and 28th, were associated with cyclonic depressions whose centres passed over the North Island. The last of these was most severe. Its centre was located off. the New South Wales coast on November 26th, and by the morning of the 28th had reached the East Coast of New Zealand, just south of Napier. Southerly gales were experienocd on the 28th and 29th in the East Coast districts between East Cape and Lyttelton and in the central provinces, and. very low temperatures prevailed. In many _ places the gale was the worst experienced for many years, and cold and wind combined caused much' damage to vegotation. Thero was also scmo loss of shorn sheep. On the morning of the 24* h an intense cyclone was centred off the south coast of New South Wales. During the next 24 hours it moved with extraordinary rapidity, bo that by next morning it was centred about Foveaux Strait. It affected chiefly the districts south of New Plymouth and Castlepoint, strong north-westerly winds prevailing. Heavy rain fell in parts of the western district. The westerly typo of weather prevailed from tho Vtii to the 13th and from the 17th to the 22nd. The rainfall for the month exoeeded the normal in all parts of tho South Island except Central and South-west-ern Otago. In the North Island it was above normal southwards of Raglan and Napier, but below it in Auckland Peninsula rind the Bay of Plenty and Gisborne districts. On the whole, the month was a dull and wet one, with temperatures considerably below the November mean. In consequence the growth of crops, pasture, etc.. was checked. Shearing also was delayed in some districts.