KARAKA

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 240, 9 January 1917, Page 1

KARAKA

We are indebted to Mr H. E. Glasson for the following information, viz. : The month just ended was unusually wet, the total rainfall being 8 61 in, about three times the average for December. Bain- fell on only 11 days, the large total being due almost entirely to the prolonged south-easterly downpour on the 20th (3'2sin) and 21st (315 in). There was also a heavy fall on the 17th—1 07in. The fall on the 20th is considerably greater than the record for 24 hours during the previous 5 years; and is probably the heaviest fall since the great flood of-January, 1907. 1916 was an unusually wet year, though not not nearly 60 wet here as in Auckland, in contrast to 1914 and 1915. The total fall at Karaka for last year was 57 92in, made up asfollows: January 2'64in, Febnjaiy 103 in, March 4-41 in, April 328 in, Miy 4 93in, June 407 in, July 5 17in, August 8 09in, September 230 in, October 6 17in, November 7 22m, December 8 61in. A masked feature of the year's weather was a return to the old style of two or more days of iain setting in from . the south-east. This occurred several times. Bain fell on 178 days during the year—not an excessively Elrge number —and notwithstanding'the heavy falls there was less really bad weather than in some other years, when squalls of wind and rain from the west predominated, 1912 for instance. During last year there were 15 days on which a fall of over an inch was registered. There was not much frost, and what is very unusual none till June, though on the other hand there was a slight frost rather late in the spring, on October 23rd. Fruit generally is late, apparently owing to the unusually warm early winter which kept the sap up, followed by drenching rain and a fall of temperature in August, which sent it down. Grass is abundant, but rather watery owing to the excessive rain.