WEATHER—"WHILE YOU WAIT."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3093, 16 January 1909, Page 7

WEATHER—"WHILE YOU WAIT."

A YEAR'S INSTALMENT READY. .SCIENTISTS ARE SCEPTICAL. 'Some weather prophets scarcely venture to make forecasts with a scope longer than two or three days. If they make a hazard for a longer period they generally protect themselves in safe, genarafterms. They leave a wide way out for themselves frcmhe positions which they gingerly prognosticate. But there is competition in the weather prophet busi- • ness as in others, and the keener the competition the longer the shots which the soothsayers make at the weather, and the greater the detail which they put into their predictions. They speak in general terms and then in particular. If a school desires to go for a picnic between Ist anc'l 7th September, 1909, the headmaster may be -expected to look up I—7 September in a bock of prophecies. If he consults the manual of "reliable forecasts" issued by Mr J. H. Giddons, of Adtlaide, he will find "showery" against thsit week, and if sure fins weather is desired for the outing the school must wait for a day between -7th and 14th October. However, if the schoolmaster turns to Mr J. Cuming Ogg (of Brisbane) instead of to Mr Giddons he may discover that it will be quite safe to fix the picnic for a day between Ist and 7th September. The prophets do not always agree, of cours?. They are in competition, and tries to give better prophecies than a rival. Mr Ogg made some fair shots at New Zealand's weather lor 1908, but Mr Giddons was not so successful. His September for example; (sth to 10th, changeable; 11th to 17th, some showers; 18th to 26th unsettled) was practically a total miss, for September was a remarkably dry month throughout New Zealand. Merely to give the people an idea of the lengths to which the prophets are prepared to so nowadays, Mr Giddun's forecasts of New Zealand s weather for 1909 are given in full. January: 1-7, unsettled; B—ls, .little -rain; 16-22, gusty showers (shipping advised); 23 —31, colj showers. February: I—s,1 —5, some showers; 6-13. unsettled; 14—20, little rain; 21—23, fine. ] —7, showery; B—ls,8 —15, showery; 16 —23, showery; 24 31, • wind, little rain (shipping advised). April: ]- 6, gusty showers (shipping r.flviheJ); 7—14, changeable; 15—21, bhowery; 22—30, little rain. May: 1-6, fine; 7 showers; 14—i9, changeable; 20 ■ 27, some showers; 28 —June 4, considerable rain. June: s—ll,5 —11, floods; 12 18, ~ showery: 19—26, cold showers, snow: 27 —July 3, wind and rain (shipping advised). . July: 4—lo, frost, some showers; 18—25, frost, little rain; 26—Au-, gust 2, frost, little rain. j August: 3—B, some showers; 9 | showers, sm;w; 25—31, | j September: 1 . 7, frost, little rain; | B—ls,8 —15, wind, some rain; 16 —23, showery; 24 30, stormy (shipping advised). October: 1-6, little rain; 7—14, stoirnv (shipping advised); 15 22, fine and frosty; 23-31, httl- rain. November: 1— 5, changeable; 6 13, little rain; 14—21, some showers; 22 —SO, stormy (shippirg advised). December: I—s,1 —5, fine; 6 stormy (shipping advised); 14 still stormy: 21 —31, showery. As New Zealand's weather varies widejv in different parts of both is- , lands" it is difficult to know how to j benefit by the prophecies. Scientific j meteorologists sniff contempiu ;usly ; at th?s'd weeks of weather, all ncely i set out. I Prophets. Australian and New | Zealand (Wellington has one or two j of long sia-ht) have been foreshad- j owing bad harvesting weather for j New Zealand, but they have no war- j rant for their prediction, so far as the Government Meteorological Office knows. Making a modest hazard about th® : probabilities for the next few hours, the Meteorological Department hints at rain in most parts of the country. j