Oct.'l, 1908,1 AgrlcidluFal Gazette of N.S.W. 855 



The Past Winter. 



The past season, on t\\v whole, furnishes a good example, both as regards 

 ainfall and temperature, of the weather usually experienced in New .South 

 Wales during winter. Prolonged spells of fine, frosty weathei- attended the 

 passage over of the high pressui^e systems, and, on the contrary, erratic periods 

 of thunderstorms, with hail, snowstorms, and gales, rough seas, and heavy, 

 soaking rainfall, associated with a cyclonic storm, as also a warm wave in July 

 sandwiched in between two cold pei-iods. 



During June the total rainfalls in the various subdivisions of the State 

 were, for the most part, below the average. Indeed, more than three-fourths 

 of New South Wales had amounts which were discrepant. Some relatively 

 very dry tracts of country were sliown on the monthly charts, especially on 

 the Central and Southern Tablelands and Coastal districts. Within the area 

 bounded by lines joining Nowra, Mouiit Victoria, and Wyong, little or no 

 rainfall was experienced, Windsor and Xowra having had none whatever, 

 and at other stations the falls ranged from between 3 and 43 points. On the 

 other hand, Riverina, the South-western Slope and the southern border of 

 the Western Division experienced amounts which were above the average. 



Compared with June of last year, the rainfall of June, 1908, presented 

 some interesting features. For, whereas Riverina and the South-western 

 Slope, in the latter period, were pi-actically the only divisions with falls above 

 average, the chart for June, 1907, showed tliat those two regions for the 

 most part were the only places with rainfall below normal. In most of the 

 other subdivisions of the State, however, Jun^, 1907, was a splendid month 

 as regards rainfall. During last June, 1908, some very low temperatures 

 were registered in each of the divisions, the absolute lowest being experienced 

 at Kiandra with 2 degrees, or 30 degrees of frost. At Sydney, the mean 

 temperature, 51 -3 degrees, was 3 degrees below average; and the extreme 

 minimum, 39 "1 degrees, registered on the 25th, was only 1 degree less than 

 the absolute lowest during the past 49 years, recorded on June 29th, 1862. 



July, 1908. 



Speaking generally, the rainfall during July was below the average over fully 

 two-thirds of the State. The greatest disparities were experienced on the north- 

 eastern quadrant, and over the greater jiart of the Slopes and Plains, ranging 

 from 120 to 356 points beh^w the average on the North Coast, from 68 to 170 

 on the Northern Tableland, and from 24 to 170 below on the Plains and Slopes. 



On the other hand, the north-western quadrant experienced totals much in ex- 

 cess of the average amount, and which, perhaps, represent the best winter falls in 

 those parts for some considerable time. Some very good falls were also 

 experienced on the coast between Port Macquarie and Jervis Ray, where, as 

 the result of the persistent rainstorm from the 27th to the 31st, inclusive, 

 the totals were considerably larger than the average. The heaviest falls for 

 the month were : 1,204 points at Mosman, 1,159 at Sydney, 1,151 at Port 

 Stephens, 1,121 at Seal Rocks, 1,053 at Newcastle, 1,002 at Glebe Point, and 

 other amounts ranging from 981 at Cape Hawke to 195 at ^\'ollongOTlg. uq 



