March unusually wet

Press, 20 April 1979, Page 10

March unusually wet

PA Wellington March, this year, was an unusually wet month with a high frequency of cyclonic, disturbances in the Tasman, the Meteorological Service has reported. “Easterly airstreams occurring on nearly half of the days of the month affected all parts of the country. Pressures were lower than normal in the North Island, and higher to the south-east of the country. In many parts of New Zealand March rainfall records were broken and sunshine totals were very low,” the service said. “Most farmers found the conditions very good for grass growth. Local flooding in the Bay of Plenty and Canterbury affected some farmers, and conditions for crops were bad.

delaying harvesting. The wet, dull w’eather adversely affected stock. “Most of the North Island had monthly totals above normal. At some stations in the Bay of Plenty, central Hawke’s Bay, and the western Wairarapa. the month’s totals were five times the average. Northland, Taupo, Wellington, and many parts of the East Coast had up to three times their usual rainfall,

“In the South Island, the Kaikoura coast had between five and seven times the normal March rainfall. In Canterbury, totals were up to four times the average, and on the West Coast between Haast and Hokitika up to three times. Only in Southland, Fiordland, and in the north-west of the South Island was there less rain than usual.”

Daily temperature minimums were above average over the whole country', and there were departures from usual of more than 3 deg. C in Hamilton, Whakatane, and Rotorua. Mean maximum temperatures were also above average by 2 deg. C in some North Island places, but were lower lhan usual on the East Coast of the South Island. These departures resulted generally in mean temperatures about 2 deg. above normal.

No stations in New Zealand had more sunshine than usual. In the north island most stations had 60 to 70 per cent of the normal sunshine, many of these totals being record March lows. In the South Island, sunshine durations were even smaller, 50 to 60 per cent of the normal being most frequent