Abstract:
A preliminary investigation of rainfall distribution over a raingauge array situated in the Waitakere Ranges of West Auckland, North Island, New Zealand, during the passage of four cold fronts, has revealed a systematic orographic influence on two occasions. The rainfall on these occasions increased substantially with distance from the coast, whether the gauge array was, by virtue of the low-level wind direction, on the lee side or windward side of the hills. The present studies suggest strongly that rainfall rate at sites with difference enhancements are linearly related. Catch ratios of up to 3:1 were measured for offshore winds. These studies are distinguished by the dense network of gauges used.