THE "WEATHEK.

Southland Times, Issue 610, 26 December 1866, Page 3

THE "WEATHEK.

OCTOBER, 1866. A fine dry month, with a mild and pleasant temperature in the daytime. The nights were almost without exception cold and chilly ; colder, in fact, than I have ever known so late in the spring. On no fewer than twenty nights the thermometer on the grass fell to the freezing point, or even lower. The effect on vegetation has been very marked. Thunderstorms occurred on the 20tb, 24th and 25th; and very vivid lightning, without audible thunder, during the niffht of the 11th. The Aurora Au9tralis (visible several times) was particularly bright on the ; same night, and many brilliant blue and yellow meteors were seen. A gale from the N.W. was experienced on the 17th, when the pressure was 12 lbs to the square foot. The mean temperature of the air in the shade during the month was 516 deg., which is IB deg. below the average of nine years. The rainfall was 2 945 inches, which is onetenth of an inch less the average of the same 1 period.

The readings of the instruments were as follows : — Barometer (corrected and reduced). — Mean atmospheric pressure, 29779 inches ; maximum, 30-291 inches (on sth and 7th) ; minimum, i 29-277 inches (on Ist) ; range, l"014 inch, i Thermometer in shade. — Mean temperature of the air, 51"6 deg. ; highest temperature (on 24th), 764 deg. ; lowest night temperature (on 6th), 27*2 deg. ; total range of temperature in month, ; 49"6 deg. ; mean daily range, 241 deg. Radiation. — Solar maximum, 112"5 deg. ; terrestrial minimum, 22*1 deg. Hygrometer. — Temperature of evaporation, 46-8 deg. ; dew point, 41*7 deg. ; relative humidity, *69 ; vapour tension, 0259 inch. Rainfall. — Total in month, 2945 inche s; maxi- '• mum in 24 hours, -582 inch (on 12th ; No. of days in which rain fell, 7. Evaporation. — Total in month, 3.895 ; or nearly half-an-inch in excess of the precipitation. Cloud. — Mean amount (0-10) =46. Direction of wind.— N., 4 days ; N.E., odo j E., 2 do ; S.E., 10 do ; S., 0 do ; S.W., odo ; W., 7do j ISM., 8 do. Force of wind. — Mean . comparative force (admiralty standaH (0-12), = 34. Airemometer — Total horizontal movement of air in month, 4066 miles ; mean daily movement, 131 miles ; maximum, 320 miles ; minimum, 28 miles ; greatest velocity, 50 miles per hour ; greatest force, 123 lbs per foot (N.W., on 37th). The following table shows the comparative state of weather and temperature during the month of October in nine years : —

Comparative state of -weather at the Coast Station (Bluff) and the Inland Station (Martendale) :— Maetendaie Bloti

Days without rain 24 ... 12 Days rain fell ... 7 ... 19 Amount of cloud overcast=(lo-0) 46 ... 6'l Force of wind— (0-12) 34 ... 4-5 N 4 ... 5 NE 0 ... 0 Direction of E 2 ... 6 wind. I SB 10 ... 4 f S 0 ... 0 No. of days SW 0 ... 5 W 7 ... 5 J :nw 8 ... 6

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