The Weatheh. 471 



THE WEATHER. 



Extracts from the Monthly Weather Report of the Chief 

 Meteorologist for the Union. 



IMkan bavoiuctric pressure lower than usual iji the west, south, ceutie, and 

 oast of the TTiiiou, but practically normal over j'hodesia. and the Transvaal; a 

 warm spell of short duration at the beginning, preceding a continuous period 

 oi' cloudy weather with cool days and mild }nght:s ; frequent spells of steady, 

 soaking rains, intermingled with light thunderstorms, caxising an excess of 

 precipitation over the country (>xcei)t in pjirt of the west c(nist;al area and tin- 

 soutli-west of the C^ape and the Natal coast; freqiiCnt showers of sninil luiil witli 

 one or two destructive storms of larger hail or wind; smdi were thii most 

 striising features of the weather of March, 1921. 



Precipitation during the month was considerable, being about 2| inches 

 in excess of the average. The surplus was greatest oA^er the Transvaal, where 

 it averaged about 4^ inches more than usual; in the Orange Free State the 

 rainfall exceeded the normal by roughly 2^ inches; in the Cape by approxi- 

 mately 2 inches; and in Natal by about IJ inch. Small shortages, averaging 

 about I of an inch, occurred over the southern half of the west coastal area, the 

 south-west, parts of the east central Karroo, of Gordonia, and the coast of 

 Natal, where Durban showed a deficit of 1.9.5 inch. The excess varied commonly 

 between 3 and C inches over the greater part of the Transvaal, Swaziland, 

 the Transkei, and north-east of the Cape; decreased to^ plus 2-3 inches in the 

 south-west Ti-ansvaal, Bechuanaland, portion of the Orange Free State, and 

 parts of the Karroo; decreased to 1-2 inches in Natal, the greater portion of 

 the northern Karroo, and part of the southern Karroo; and toi less than an 

 inch over Namaqualand and the east of the south coast; precipitation fell 

 below the average over the south-western portions of the Cape, Natal coast, and 

 Gordonia. The greatest excess was 8.37 inches at Potchefstroom. Uain 

 itccurred in some parts of the Union every day of the month, frequently in 

 continued spells of three and up to seven days, usually of steady, soaking 

 rains, but with occasional heavy thundershowers. The result of these abundant 

 rains seems to have b(>en to allay anxiety as to the winter pasture for cattie, 

 to ensure a good supply of water from springs, dams, etc., during winter, and, 

 in some cases, materially to improve growing crops and the prospects for winter 

 crops, whilst all stock are in excellent condition. On the other hand, certain 

 crops that were about to^ be harvested suffered from the superabundance of 

 water (e.g. hay, monkey nuts), whilst in the llustcnburg District the cotton 

 crops in low-lying lands died out, tobacco was droA\ned, and red rust aiipearcti - 

 the latter also in the wheat crops in Kingwilliamstown District. Insect pests 

 have also made their appearance, e.g. boll-worm in cottoii in Rustenbnrg. 

 locusts in the Carnarvon and Murraysburg Districts of the Cape; black ijid 

 green caterpillars are doing danuige in Swaziland, and cutworms and moths 

 in th(! Fanresmith District, Orange Free State. Rivers were running 

 frequently, and some lands, particularly those of " black turf," were under 

 water for days, so that harvesting of hay, etc., was delayed. Some heavy falls 

 of rain, and occasionally hail, occurred. 



The cumulative rainfall since the 1st Jidy of last year is well above 

 normal over the Transvaal, the centre and north-east of the Orange Free State, 

 the central aiid coastal portions of Natal, the central, south, and west parts 

 of the northern Karroo, the central and southern Karroos, the west and south- 

 ^vest of the Cape, and the middle parts of the Transkei. The most extensive 

 areas over which there is a shortage extend from Bloemhof in the south-west 

 Transvaal and Bechuanaland to Prieska and Hopetown in the northern border 

 of the Cape; along the south and south-east coastal areas as far as Port St. 

 Johns, with Zululand and the north, east, ;rnd south of Natal. The aggregate 

 precipitation since the commencement of the current year is less than usual 

 over much more limited areas, which include the more easterly and south- 

 easterly parts of the Transvaal, the north and east of Natal, the northern 

 border between Kuruman and Hopetown, the south-east portion of the northern 

 Karroo, and part of the north-east of the Cape, as well as the south-east 

 coastal areas. Elsewhere it is above the average by amounts varying between 

 a few tenths to 7 inches. 



