June 2, 1908.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S. W. 497 



Meteorological Bukeau, No. i Division, 

 New South Wales. 



Weather Conditions during yVpril, 1908. 



S. WILSON, 

 Divisional Officer. 



At the beginning of the montli an anticyclone was shown over the greater 

 part of tlie southern half of Australia, and the rear isobar of another on the 

 Queensland coast, between Townsville and Brisbane. Elsewhere on the 

 mainland and over Tasmania, the weather was under low-pressure control. 

 Steep gradients between Victoria and the east coast of Tasmania resulted in 

 very strong westerly winds and rain squalls over that area, with rough seas 

 in Bass' Straits. Fresh to strong easterly winds prevailed in Western 

 Australia, the direction being governed by the presence of a low pressure on 

 the coast, between Carnarvon and Geraldton. Some light to heavy rainfall 

 occurred in the area occupied by the low pressui'es, but fine weather for the 

 most part ruled over the country covered by the anticyclone. The heaviest 

 rainfalls recorded were 280 points at Thursday Island and 252 points at 

 Cooktown. 



During the following twenty-four hours the anticyclone advanced in a 

 nortl I -easterly direction as far as our coastal district^, and covered the whole 

 of New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, where fine weather 

 resulted generally, with the exception of light showers hei'e and there along 

 the seaboard of Victoria. An Antarctic disturbance a|)peared over southern 

 districts of West Australia, and caused thunderstorms and light rainfall 

 there ; whilst in the depression over northern Queensland. Cooktown had 

 another 201 points, and Mein 44 points. 



The isobaric chart on the 4th showed an irregular-shaped high jn-essure 

 over the south-eastern States, with its centre between southern Victoria and 

 the west coast of Tasmania, and two depressions, an incipient one covering 

 the northern portion and the other the south-western quadrant of West 

 Australia, having its lowest readings in the south-west corner. This 

 distribution df pressure was attended by sultry weather conditions in 

 Northern and Westei-n Australia, and light rainfall on the north coast of 

 Queensland and at scattered placfs in the south-west corner of the continent, 

 where fresh to strong north to north-west winds, with moderate to rough 

 seas, obtained. Light rainfall was also reported from scattered places on the 

 seaboard of New South Wales, south from Port Macquarie with the excep- 

 tion of an isolated heavy fall of 162 points at Camden Haven. By the 6th, 

 the central readings of the anticyclone had increased by three-tenths inch 

 along our coastline and the south-east of Tasmania, the innermost isobar 

 attaining the value of 30-4 inches. Its outer isobars, which had arranged 

 themsehes horizontally, now covered the greater part of the continent, and 

 controlled south-east to north-east winds througl out. The West Australinn 



