WEATHER FORECASTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 February 1940, Page 9

WEATHER FORECASTS

SERVICE FOR FARMERS AND OTHERS NATIONAL BROADCASTS. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR ADVICE, Aviation weather reports are broadcast daily from Stations 2YA and 4YA at 6.50 a.m. (except. Sunday), 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. The broadcasts at 6.50 a.m. and 10 a.m. include summaries of weather conditions prevailing, while at 10 a.m. there is a forecast up till the evening, and at 1 p.m. a forecast for thefollowing twenty-four hours. Those forecasts are -not included on Sundays, but when some sudden change is expected, a warning is often added to the summary. Farmers’ Forecasts: A special weather report for farmers is transmitted from Monday to Friday at the following times:—lYA: 3.55 p.m. and about 4.20 p.m. (following the Daventry news); 2YA: 3.30 p.m. and 4.30 p.m.; 3YA: 4 p.m., about 4.20 p.m., and 4.58 p.m.; 4YA: 4 p.m.; 3ZR (Greymouth): 4.30 and 6.57 p.m. These broadcasts in-

Farmers’ Forecasts: A special weather report for farmers is transmitted from Monday to Friday at the following times:—lYA: 3.55 p.m. and about 4.20 p.m. (following the Daventry news); 2YA: 3.30 p.m. and 4.30 p.m.; 3YA: 4 p.m., about 4.20 p.m., and 4.58 p.m.; 4YA: 4 p.m.; 3ZR (Greymouth): 4.30 and 6.57 p.m. These broadcasts include a description of the situation together with a forecast and a statement on the further outlook beyond the twenty-four hours covered by the forecast.

General Forecasts: (a) Daily, except on Sunday, at 1 p.m. IYA and 3YA broadcast provincial forecasts for .Auckland and Canterbury, respectively. The aviation broadcast at 1 p.m. includes, in addition to the Dominion forecast, the Wellington district forecast, while at the conclusion, the Otago forecast is given by 4YA. (b) At 6.55p.m. daily the four YA stations broadcast a Dominion and a provincial forecast for the following twenty-four hours. The 2YA transmission includes a selection of 3 p.m. station reports. These forecasts are repeated at 9 p.m. or about 9.20 p.m. following the Daventry news, and 3YA has an additional repetition at 7.58 p.m. On week days 2YH (Napier) issues a Hawke’s Bay forecast at 6.45 p.m.

Telegraphed Forecasts: For special farming operations, arrangements can be made with the Meteorological Office, Wellington, to send forecasts by telegram. Requests may be made either by letter to “The Director, Meteorological Office, Wellington,” or by telegram to “Weather, Wellington,” and replies will be sent by collect telegram. In formulating a request, especially if made by telegram, one should state clearly of what the forecast is to be a warning, viz, whether of strong wind?, wet weather, coldness, etc, what period the forecast should cover, and whether more than one is required. It is also advisable to indicate the nature of the particular farming operation involved. Unless directions to the contrary are given, forecasts will cover the twenty-four hours from the time of issue. Requests should be expressed in a reasonable form for it is necessary to emphasise that forecasts to cover more than one or two days cannot, as a rule, be made with any great degree of accuracy, and due regard must be paid to the changeableness of the weather. For instance, to answer a request for advice of the approach of seven days of fine weather, the forecaster might have to wait many weeks or even months before such a long spell of good weather was at all likely. However, occasions probably would arise when a forecast of the following nature would be justified: “Expect two days fine thereafter fair prospects several days settled weather." Some examples of telegraphic requests are added: “Burning off telegraph warnings strong winds during next eight days”; “Commencing shearing please wire warnings all rain or southerlies until fifteenth”; Please supply forecasts daily one week commencing twenty-fourth.”