DECEMBER’S RECORD

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 84, 3 January 1935, Page 6

DECEMBER’S RECORD

Sunniest Month Ever Experienced NO DAY WHOLLY DULL If November was a record month for fine weather, that which followed eclipsed it and brought the year to a fitting climax by being the hottest December ever recorded in Wellington, and the sunniest month "on record out of all the months of the year. have been hotter Januaries and Februaries, but none so sunny. On no day did the sun fail to shine for several hours. The highest temperature recorded during the month was on Christmas Day. when the thermometer rose to 83.5 degrees. The mean heat during the month was 66.2 degrees, being 6.8 degrees higher than the average. The hours of bright sunshine totalled 313.7, which is an average of 10.1 hours per day. The previous sunniest month on record for Wellington was January, 1918, when the total was 312.5 hours. On the 13th 14 hours of bright sunshine were recorded, and on eight other days 13 hours or more. December’s normal amount of sunshine is .226 hours, nearly 100 hours Ipss than the total recorded last month;' In addition, this last month was almost the driest December on record. Five points of rain fell at Kelburu on the 11th, but beyond that there was no rain at all durifig'the month in the city, although some suburbs had thunder showers on the 26th. There has only been one drier December, and that was in 1916, when no rain at all was recorded.

The month, to addgto its other virtures. was abnormally calm. The daily run of wind averaged only 168 miles, as against the normal for December of 278 miles, and there were no gales or strong winds throughout the month.