JANUARY WEATHER

Hokitika Guardian, 7 February 1928, Page 2

JANUARY WEATHER

POSITION BECOMING - SKR.TOFS FOR DAIRYING. WELLINGTON. Fob. 0. The Government Meteorologist supplies the following notes on the weather for January, 1928: The past month has been notable for exceptionally dry conditions, experienced over the whole of the Dominion. The deficiency of the rainfall is most serious in districts with a westerly asjveot. following as it does on the dry December. No vigorous low-pres-sure disturbance fins affected any part of the New Zealand region during the course of the month. On several occasions storms developed in Australia which would normally have brought general rains to this country in each instance. However, although some slight effect was felt, the pressure and changes were reduced to shallow waves b,v the time the disturbance had crossed to the Dominion. The most important. of these waves were passed on from the Ist to the 2nd and the 26th January respectively. Each produced moderate rains in parts of the West Coast districts, with scattered showers elsewhere. The dominant feature of the pressure distribution has been the persistence of high pressure especially in the north. Anti-cyclones were actually centred over or near New Xealand on the Ist. 2nd. 4th. Gib. silt. 12th. 14th. 23rd. 29th. and 31st respectively. Dry. warm, sunny and droughty weather was experienced its the direct consequence of these anticyclonic conditions. The mean pressure was the highest recorded for January tit Wellington. One the whole, there has been a relative absence of wind. bu 4 between the 10th and 19th while rather an intense anti-cyclonic lay across the South Island. strong easterly winds blew over the North Island, frequently reaching gale force in the far North, and causing showery weather in the Auckland peninsula. The month has been the driest January on record in southern Auckland. Taranaki and parts of the Manawatu. Nelson, and Marlborough districts. At the end of the month, owing to the previous plentiful growth of feed, the effects of the drought had not in general been severely felt. Tn large parts of the North Island, however, especially in the central and western portions milk returns had fallen off considerably. Elsewhere, although pastures wore becoming parched, compensations were provided in the satisfactory maturing of the grain and fruit crops and the season had been a good one. Should rain not fall by the middle of “February, however, many districts will suffer severely.