A DRY YEAR

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 59, 3 December 1919, Page 2

A DRY YEAR

NOVEMBER'S RAINFALL BELOW AVERAGE ELEVEN MONTHS' FIGURES As has been frequently pointed out in. these coluinna, the rainfall during the past winter and spring has been much below tho averago, and tho outlook for tho summer is not a very chcerful one unless tliero is a reversal of tho usual conditions, which may not bo considered unlikoly After tho keen southerly . rain storm which occurred yesterday afternoon. During tho past mouth (November) only 2.5-1 inches of rain fell in. Wellington, as compared with an averago for that month of 3,56 inches, so that ail additional shortage on those already noted is recorded. The farmer has long ago discovered that this rainfall is u long winy below the average-, find ho does not liko it. In tho llawke's Bay district the land is already showing signs of "a dry spring," and should tho rains hold off, tho condition of the pastures ;iext .month will bo rnthsjr poor. ( As far as Wellington is concerned, thfc greatest rainfall during November was on lilio fifth day, when 0.58 inches fell. En in fell on eleven days of tho month, but tho total only reached 2.54 inclie?. To sliow clearly that 1919 has been a dry year, and that doubtless the country will suffer for it in one way or another, the following figures were supplied by the Meteorological Office as, to the rainfall in "Wellington — Eainfall. Average. Inchcs.' Inches. January ....... 3.7-1 3.33 February 2.02 3.31 March 1.10 3.88 • April .., 1.93 " 3.99 May 1.92 4.94 Juno 2.44 5.06 July 3.03 5.95 August 3.42 . 4.55 September .... 1.90 4-19 October 1.98 4.24 ' November .... 2-.54 3.56 Total 28.00 40.50 26.00 Short of average 20.50 From a cursory glance, bj and large, at the meteorological conditions all over the Southern Heinisphore, it would appear that there is a. pretty general shortage in the rainfall. In Australia New South Wales and part of Victoria have suffered severely from drought for two months past—drought of a character that had not been experienced for half a century before. The rice crops in the Dutch East Indies failed owing to the paucity of the monsoonnl rains, and there Jiosjieen a shortage of rain generally in South Africa, all of which points to abnormal conditions.