WELCOME RAIN

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 118, 16 February 1928, Page 8

WELCOME RAIN

LONG DRY SPELL BROKEN FIRST DOWNPOUR FOR SIX WEEKS FALL FAIRLY GENERAL The longest spell of dry wea> ther experienced in Wellington for forty years ended on Tuesday night with a welcome downpour of rain. This was the first appreciable fall for just over six weeks. Up till 9 a.m. yesterday the rainfall measured 36 points, which was nearly double that for the whole of January. The Dominion Meteorologist (Dr. E. Kidson) explained yesterday that the fall of rain was due to a slight wave of low-pressure which passed Tasmania on Sunday aud the southern part of New Zealand on Tuesday, and was followed by an anti-cy-clone which passed across the southern part of ■ the Tasman Sea. There was a rapid rise in pressure on Tuesday night over the southern portion of the Dominion, fresh southerly winds, accompanied by rain, being experienced during Tuesday night and yesterday morning. The barometer was high all over the Dominion yesterday, particularly on the east coast of the South Island, the highest reading at 5 a.m. being 30.49 at Timaru. Up till yesterday afternoon the reports received indicated that the rain was fairly general in the South Island, except at Nelson. There was a fairly heavy fall on the West Coast and ’in the 'high country between Canterbury and Westland, 105 points being recorded at Arthur’s Pass, 30 points at Grevmouth, and 11 points at Westport up 'till 9 a.m. yesterday. In the North Island welcome showers fell over most of Wellington and Taranaki. It was expected that last night the rain would extend over the North Island, especially in the eastern districts as far as East Cape. A deep cyclone centred over the east coast of Australia, where heavy rains have fallen, and which promised heavyrain for New Zealand, appears to have filled up to a very large extent. In view of the very high barometric pressure over the Dominion, it is now thought unlikely that this storm will produce anything more than scattered "rains, chiefly in the North Island, probably in twenty-four hours’ time. The barometric pressure yesterday was generally as high as it had been at any time during the dry SP It was expected that the total fall at Wellington yesterday would reach 40 points, as compared with a total of 19 points for the whole of January. Rain in measurable quantities fell on five days last month, more than half of the total being recorded for the twentyfour hours ended January 2, when 11 points were registered. The rainfall was of immense benefit to farmers, who will welcome much more. In Wellington it was very beneficial to gardens, as well as to the unpaved roads.