238 Meteorological Observations for January 1828. 



Rain near ground (5-710 inch.— Rain 23 feet high 6*135 inch. 

 Prevaling Wind S.W. 



Summary of the Weather. 



A clear sky, 2; fine, with various modifications of clouds, 9; an over- 

 cast sky without rain, 11£ ; foggy 1; rain, 7a- — Total 31 days. 



Clouds. 



Cirrus. Cirrocumulus. Cirrostratus. Stratus. Cumulus. Cumulostr. Nimbus. 



16 8 30 1 8 9 19 



Scale of the prevailing Winds. 

 N. N.E. E. S.E. S. S.W. . W. N.W. Days. 

 h H 3£ 6 4 7 4 2£ 31 



General Observations. — The first part of this month to the 17th was very 

 wet, and generally stormy, 6*385 inches of rain having fallen here ; the lat- 

 ter part was dry, with a humid atmosphere. From the 2nd of December 

 last to the 17th instant, upwards of a perpendicular foot of rain fell here, 

 and during that period heavy rain frequently fell throughout England, but 

 chiefly along the southern shores ; also along the shores of Ireland and Scot- 

 land, in consequence of the S.W. winds and gales having prevailed two- 

 thirds of the time, and having often been crossed by upper winds : the re- 

 sult was an overflowing of the rivers, and a general inundation of the low 

 lands. Even the level roads and lands near the hilly districts in Hampshire, 

 and the adjoining counties, lay under water several days about the middle 

 of the month, which rendered them impassable to foot-passengers. 



On the 1st instant, 1*89 inch of rain fell between the hours of 8 a.m. and 

 6 p.m., accompanied with a brisk gale from the S.E. in the morning, and a 

 very hard gale from the North throughout the afternoon and night. That 

 depth of rain in so short a time is with us unprecedented ; but nearly the 

 same depth fell here in 24 hours on the 29th of August 1821. — A more 

 violent gale and rain in the afternoon, (as the latter frequently came down 

 in torrents), have seldom been experienced : and in consequence of the 

 then highly saturated state of the ground, the level roads and fields about 

 the town and neighbourhood lay under water several hours, and carriages 

 were prevented from travelling in the roads till the rush of water from the 

 higher ground had subsided. On the morning of the 5th, icy efflorescences 

 appeared on the inside of the glass windows ; and at mid-day a bright par- 

 helion was observed on the eastern side of the sun, 22£ degrees distant 

 from his centre, From the 6th to the 10th the atmosphere presented a 

 snowy appearance, and on the latter day one inch and a half of snow fell 

 here, with a gale from the North-east. Early in the afternoon of the 11th 

 a thick fog came on, but was soon dispersed by a change of wind to 

 the West ; and from a sudden rise of temperature the ice and snow were 

 dissolved in four or five hours. While the thaw was thus rapidly going 

 on, and immediately after the fog cleared away, a dense stratus, two or 

 three feet in height from the ground, formed in the town and its vicinity, 

 which viewed an hour before sunset from a height of twenty feet, had an 

 unusually whitish appearance, like smoke from a tobacco-pipe. It was no 

 doubt produced so suddenly, by the heat from the ground communicating 

 with the lower atmosphere, whose temperature was only 40 degrees; while 

 the heat of the ground, which had been kept down by the ice and snow, 

 was 13 degrees higher. A wet fog prevailed throughout the day of the 

 12th: its temperature on the ground at 9 a.m. was 40 degrees; at three 

 feet high, 43 degrees ; and at nine and twelve feet high, 46 degrees. At 



midnight 



