SNOW IN WELLINGTON

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 236, 3 July 1944, Page 4

SNOW IN WELLINGTON

Coldest Morning Of Winter

June, with its bright sparkling days and occasional frosts, was only fooling with winter. July hustled in ou a southerly gale, accompanied by rain, sleet, and snow, and, for a few hours, looked as though it meant serious business. . , Between 0 and 10.30 a.m. on Saturday showers of hurtling rain were interspersed with falls of gentle sleet, and later snow, too slight to remain visibly frozen ou the ground, except on the higher levels. By 10 o’clock at the hack of Karori, Nguio, and Kliandailah wOre an impressive mantle of snow, and the higher ranges—the Orongorongos and Tararuas —were given an extra dusting. At Kelburn at 9 a.m. the temperature was only 36 degrees—the coldest morning this winter. At midday the packed clouds cleared away, and though the wind remained icy cold, the conditions were exhilarating tor those who could get round briskly. Such was the effect of the sun’s rays that before half the afternoon was over the snow on the near hills had pretty, well disappeared except in the deeper riits. Such a fall of snow, by no means unprecedented, was unusual as early as the first dav of July, and the sight of distant hills, so green as a rule, gave an added picturesqueness to Wellington’s framework. ’At Karori the snow tell fairly heavily for over an hour, with tile result that gardens and lawns were covered. Delighted children rushed out, of door's, and were not long in attempting to build up snowmen as a welcome to the winter. The bright sunshine, however, soon dispelled their ideas. June in Wellington was a very sunny month.' the third sunniest June on record, and it was also colder than usual. Mean maximum, minimum, and grass temperatures were all below the average, the menu temperature for the mouth bein'- 47.3 degrees, compared with the average of 48 degrees for June. Several frosts were recorded at Kelburn, specially towards the end of the mouth, the lowest reading on the grass being 2->.2 degrees on June 30, nearly seven degrees of frost. The sun shone tor 14-1.3 hours, which is 38.8 hours, or more than an hour a day, above the June aierage of 105.5 hours. June in 1930 and 1940 beat this by a few hours. The month s rainfall was 3.95 inches, which is slightly below the average of 4.19 inches. The daily run of wind averaged 19(» miles, or nine miles a day more than the average.