METEOROLOGICAL WORK IN AUSTRALIA. 263 



The maps immediately preceding the 27th show an ordinary low 

 pressure wave advancing eastwards along the Southern Ocean, with 

 a "high " over the continent, gradually retreating before it to the 

 eastwards. On the 26th signs of a valley forming were very 

 marked, and on the next day we have the trough shown in map No. 5. 



The subsequent weather charts are very interesting. The 28th 

 being a Sunday no chart was issued, but oa the 2'.nh. we find that 

 a well-marked cyclonic depression had developed over South Aus- 

 tralia, the centre lying between Adelaide and Port Aujjusta, and 

 the Barrier Ranges in New Sovxth Wales, whilst a large high 

 pressure area lay over New Zealand and the ocean between those 

 islands and the Australian coast, and another " high " overlapped 

 the south-western portion of the coniinent. This low pressure 

 centre then passed southwards to between Kangaroo Island and 

 Lacepede Bay, thence down the coast over Tasmania, and off 

 towards New Zealand. 



Splendid rains fell all over this colony, Victoria, and Tasmania, 

 e.\tending well inland over the norh-east districts of South Aus- 

 tralia into western and central Queensland. In South Australia it 

 was one of the lieaviest, if not the heaviest, general rainstorm of 

 which we have records. The bulk of the rain fell between 9 a.m. 

 on the 27th and 9 a.m. on the 30th, and during that period we 

 find that in South Australia heavy rains fell everywhere south of 

 Alice Springs ; in New South Wales light to heavy rains fell 

 almost generally ; also in Queensland, especially in the centre and 

 west ; whilst in Victoria and Tasmania there was a copious rainfall 

 throughout. 



I doubt if so extensive a rainstorm has been experienced since 

 records began. The drought over our north-eastern country, 

 western and central Queensland, was broken up, and practically 

 more than half the entire continent participated in the downpour, 

 which was certainly as beneficial as it was extensive. 



MAP No. 6, JUNE 22.vd, 1893, 

 Is a typical winter map, an anticyclonic area resting over the 

 interior, with its maximum extending from the Great Australian 

 Biaht to the centre of the continent, and in a long loop from 

 Western Australia to near the coast range in Queensland, whilst 

 over the Southern Ocean we have the usual low pressure belt. 



The weather was mostly fine and clear in Western Australia; in 

 South Australia dry south-east winds were blowing in the interior 

 from Lake Eyre to the north coast, and the weather was cloudy 

 fine to gloomy, and in parts foggy, with misty rain over southern 

 districts. On the Victorian coast it was cloudy and showery, and 

 fine and clear inland there and in New South Wales ; fine but 

 more or less cloudy in Queensland and the Northern Territory. 

 There were frosts in early morning in Victoria and southern 

 Queensland. 



