THE COLDEST EVER

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 81, 2 October 1931, Page 12

THE COLDEST EVER

SEPTEMBER'S RECORD

A DISMAL MONTH

September is considered in meteorological circles to be tho first of the spring months. The September which has just closed an inglorious career of thirty drys apparently was under the mistaken apprehension that it was the last of the winter months, and it established an unenviable record by being the coldest September ever experienced in Wellington since meteorological records were first tiikon in 1864. Throughout the mouth tho weather was very unsettled, and the frequency of the cold southerly winds was reflected in the moan temperature. This, for the mouth, was 47.2 degrees, whereas tho average of previous Septembers has been 50.5 degrees. So another month is added to tho already long list of recent months that have had a mean temperature b«low normal. Tho mean maximum ternperaturo was 52.5 degrees, nearly four degrees below the previous average of 56.3 degrees. Tho mean minimum temperature was correspondingly.low, being 41.8 degrees as against a previous average of 44.8 degrees. During the month three frosts were recorded at Kelburn, tho lowest gross minimum reading being 22.2 degrees on the morning of the 7th. This, incidentally, was the hardest frost of the year.

Bain managed to fall on. two days out of every three, which, although beneficial to gardens perhaps, did uot make conditions more pleasant. The. lain, which fell on twenty-one days, au.ounted to 377 points, which is a littlo over half an inch, .Go" points to be precise, above the average. There were no particularly heavy falls,, the most falling one day being 62 points on the 22nd. So, besides being cold, September was wet, and it was comparatively sunless too. The number of hours of bright sunshine totalled only 128, roughly four a day on the average, whereas the average of previous Septembers has been 164 hours, well over fivo a day. The amount of cloud at 9,a.m., as might be expected, was well above the average, being 7.9 tenths as against 5.5 tenths. *

About the only redeeming feature of September's: weather is the fact that there was rathor less wind than usual, the daily run ■ averaging 200 miles a day. In previous-Septembers the-aver-age has been 248 miles. There was only one day during the month when it really blew a gale. That was on>the Bth, when Wellington enjoyed one of its,special nor'-westers-. For the twenty-four hours ending at 9 a.m. on the 9th the total run of wind was. 604' niiles, which was easily the best effort during the month as far as.draught is concerned. ...

Amongst the meteorological incidentals of the month were a few flakes-.of snow which fell on the 6th, when a particularly cold south-easterly prevailed; two days when hail fell; and: one day when there was fog. With frequent, depressions of the westerly type and of cyclonic form, the average barometer reading was below the normal, 29.806 inches as against 29.939 inches.