WELLINGTON WEATHER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 398, 6 January 1909, Page 9

WELLINGTON WEATHER.

' SOME FEATURES NEW NOTABLE. TUB RECORD FOR 1908 WELLINGTON WEATHER. r RAINFALL. .; ■ Tiio rainfall of Wellington during the year amounted to 34.93 inohes,, which. is : 15.65 inches below the annual average for 46years t and, excepting that of 1889 (31.37 in;), the lowest recorded.. The average monthly rainfalls as shown in the following diagram display a certain regularity with the lowest rainfall, in slimmer and the greatest in winter,' ranging between three and six inches per month. .•••• v

These': means cover up such irregularities as. occur every year, but the past year had only three months (March, • July, and , October) with totals'above the averages 'for the .'seyoral months. .The other, nine months -were below, as'is; shown by the following diagram:— ','.:',: . '■' '.',"■

.The drought in the summer:-of:-lpOW! was. the: severest on record, •'.and February './'the'', lowestmonthly rainfall ever: recorded;- : A'-' measurable quantity of rain, .005 in. or over, which constitutes a day with rain,-: was re-: corded 0n.141 days'. ,Tho heaviest fall in 24 hours was'.l.s4 inches on, August' 19. : :,. ■•:.'-. ; .• 'i';' Remarkable Sunshlno. ' The total bright, sunshine recordedwas remarkably high,' and the total,. : 2009. . hours, will-compare favourably with any .other temperate region of the earth! The. total bright sunshine recorded in 1907' was .1853 hours 53 l minutes,: arid the monthly records hero tabulated.show considerable differences".:

Jan. '* Feb. Mar. H. M XI. 51. H. M. 1907 : ... 247 41 194 14 132 ■ 20 1908: ... .227. 1 . .235 6 117 1 April. May. June, H. M. 11. M. H. M. 1907 ■... 153 35 93 30 92. 10 1903 : \ ... 145 6 144 24 '' 86 8 ■ • ' ' ' ' July. Aug. Sop. 11. M. H. M. H. M. 1907; ... 123 57 94 3S : 137 37 1903. ... 109 58 152 29 158 5 1 Oct. Nov. . Dec. ■ ' H. M.-: H.' M. H. M. 1907 ' ... 165 '25 .186 20 232 26 1903 ... 107 24 229 22 237 0 A Puzzle: Decreased Mean Temperature. : Tho moan tw.peraturo of the air in. the shade for the,year was 54.6,'deg, Fahr.—a trifle below the average in former years. This may bo accounted for by change of 'the site of tho Observatory, as certainly / the wind; records also aro alfected by the same cause: The 1 highest temperature recorded was 79 deg. on February 16 r , and the lowest, 33 deg.. was reached on four occasions in tho months of July and August, giving a total--range of 46 deg. for the year. The mean, daily range was 10.3 dep.' Fair. The mean maximum was : 59.8 deg., ; and the mean minimum was 54.6 deg. ' Tho mean monthly temperatures were Jan. Fob. Mar. April. May! 'June. 62.2 62.0 59.8 : »6.1 . , 53.6 .50.6 Jnly. Aug. Sop. Oct.. Nov. Dec. 45.6 45.9 52.6 53.0 56.0 58.3

Frosts and Night Radiation. jTho record of minimum temperatures. on the grass showed 49 frosts during the 1 year, and the minimum itself' (23 dog. Fahr.) occurred in July,. Jan. Feb. Mar. Api. May. Jun. Moan : 47. . ,44 47.3 '42 .38'. .38.5 No. of frosts .1 0 1. i 4 . 6 6 Jul. Aug. Sop. Oct. Nov. Deo. Moan ... 34 ~ 34.6,43.4 , 42.8 45 '- ;48 No. of frosts 11 13 4 3.0 ,0 Earth Temperature. The moan at the depth .of Ift. in: ■ the ground was 55 dog;. Fahr;, which is (as usu,ally): found slightly higher than, the air teniperaturo.v Tho monthly means wero:; — Jan. Feb. Mar. Apli May. Jun. 63.1 62.5 '58.1 57.9 55.1 51.7 July. Aug. Sop. Oct. Nov. Dec. 47.1 .46.4 50.5 52.9 54.9 59.8

Wind: Ono Savage Day In March.,,' Northerly winds prevailed during the year, but southerly winds wero also much in evidence. Tho former amounting to about 55 per cent., and tho latter 33 per cent, of the winds recorded.

',: 'The average velocity at .the Observatory on •Mount..-Cook .(110ft. above ..thp-.;,mean sea 'level),;and.-.pne'of the.,windiest spots in,the city, was 16.6.mi1es perhour, i.o;, between.a gentle and .a moderate, breeze,' estimated as if : always,blowing... The daily average for the year, '399 miles, was higher than .that ■ of. the preceding year by 31 miles, per iday. •. Tho maximum number'of miles par.iday :(1Q42 miles for the. preceding 24 hours)- was recorded at 9 a.m. oh March 20, and eclipsed all: previous records hero, though greater storms have undoubtedly occurred., in. Wellington,, notably on October 22, 1869, when■ 860': miles,.' the:.previous .record, was made at -the./old Observatory in Sydney: Street Cemetery, ; ; '

. : Barometric Pressure. ■'The mean pressure of the atmosphere at sea level for the year was 29.933 inches,-and the highest, 30;581in., ocourred on 'November--13, while tno. 10we5t,'29.250in., was recorded on December 10, showing an annual range of 1.331 in. Thunder, Lightning, Etc. . . . (Thunder and lightning wero obsoryed' in Wellington' three, times during the' year; and hail fell on four occasions, but no snow fell during the year. The weather of each month may be briefly summed up as follows:— January.—Dry, windy, and hazy, i ' > > . .February.—Extremely dry. March.—Very unsettled, with a very wot period of nine days. ' •••• :.»•» .... i\ April.—Seasonable and mild autumn we a--ther. 1 ' . May.—Mild and pleasanl; : June. —Very changeable. .;July.-Tv-Cold, unsettled, and wet.. ■; < August.—Colder and. finer than usual. .September.—The: driest'' September smde 1867. Octobor.—Changeable, but mild. /' , Npvcmber.—Sunny and dry. December.—Cool and .fine weather provailing. . . ! ' . i On the wholo' the woathor of 1908 in-Wel-lington will be generally, remembered as remarkably sunny and dry.