Winds.

Owing to the fact that most atmospheric disturbances pass from west to east, with the centres of the depression to the south of New Zealand, there is a marked prevalence of westerly winds throughout all seasons, but they are much modified by the form of the land. When the centres pass to the north of New Zealand the result is that north-east winds impinge on the east coast, bringing rain, followed by page 66 cold south-easters, with heavy storms of rain and snow during winter in the south.

The more common westerly winds begin in the north-north-west, with heavy rain on the west coast, and gradually veer to south-west, when fair bright weather sets in on that coast; but the same southerly wind, sweeping along the east side of the Islands, brings heavy strong weather locally known as "southerly bursters," which, from the shape of the coast, reach the region of Cook Strait as south-east storms. All the other winds are either land or sea draughts, with fine light weather; or are moderate winds produced by the circulation of the atmosphere round anticyclonic areas of high barometric pressure, that are far more persistent in their influence than the fast-moving cyclonic or low-pressure areas.