A Brief Review of 1947

For a start the season was very backward, but favourable weather throughout the summer and autumn allowed this leeway to be made good. Two violent southerly storms affected southern districts of the North Island, the first in February and the second in June. After a very wet June, the spell of mild dry weather which followed provided ideal conditions for farming. Lambing percentages and milk-yields were very good. A long spell of warm settled weather followed a dull, wet October, and pastures were rapidly drying up towards the end of the year.

Over the greater part of the South Island the annual rainfall was about 20 per cent. below normal. Eastern Marlborough, South Canterbury, and the Waimea Valley (Nelson) had a slight excess. The distribution in the North Island was rather irregular, although the departures from normal were not great. In general, the districts with deficient rainfall were in South Auckland and from Taranaki across to Hawkes Bay. Over the year mean temperatures were near or slightly above normal, the departure amounting to 1° F. on the West Coast. Most places had more sunshine than usual, particularly in Westland and Manawatu. Napier's total was the equivalent of half an hour a day below normal, while small negative departures occurred in New Plymouth, Nelson, Gore, and from Auckland to Tauranga.

Seasonal Notes.—January's weather was cool and unsettled for a start, while crops and glasshouses in South Canterbury suffered considerable damage from hail on the 4th. It became more settled later in the month, enabling farmers to make some progress with their delayed shearing and harvesting. A violent southerly storm in mid-February caused considerable damage in the southern part of the North Island. Hawkes Bay orchards suffered badly, and there were stock losses due to floods and exposure in the Wairarapa. With the above exception, the weather in February and March was predominantly fine, and a number of new sunshine records were established. Favourable weather continued during the remainder of the autumn.

Conditions were very disturbed in June. In parts of the Wellington district it was the wettest month in the last fifty years. Towards the end of the month the southern part of the North Island experienced another severe southerly storm, and stock losses were heavy in South Wairarapa. During July it was wet in the far north, but very dry in the South Island. Mild sunny weather during the next two months was very beneficial for stock and for early spring growth. Substantial rainfall in October provided a good reserve of moisture to offset the effect of the warm, dry weather in November and December. Nevertheless, towards the end of the year pastures were rapidly drying up, and milk-production was on the decline.

THE NEW ZEALAND OFFICIAL YEAR-BOOK, 1947-49.