34 



HA RD WICKE'S SCIENCE- G OSSIP. 



however, so exceptional that I must refer to that as 

 briefly as I can, and then give an abstract of the 

 meteorology of 1886. 



At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean 

 reading of the barometer for the week ending Decem- 

 ber 4, was 29.74 in. The mean temperature of the 

 air was 37.3 deg., and 4.3 deg. below the average in 

 the corresponding weeks of the 20 years ending 1S6S. 

 The general direction of the wind was south-west, and 

 the horizontal movement of the air averaged 13. 1 

 miles per hour, which was 0.6 above the average in 

 the corresponding weeks of 16 years. Rain fell on 

 two days of the week to the aggregate amount of 

 0.30 of an inch. 



The mean reading of the barometer for the week 

 ending December 11, was 29.13 in. The mean 

 temperature of the air was ifi.d deg., and o. 1 deg. 

 below the average in the corresponding weeks of the 

 20 years ending 1868. The general direction of the 

 wind was south-west, and the horizontal movement 

 of the air averaged 23.6 miles per hour, which was 

 10.9 above the average in the corresponding weeks 

 of 16 years. Rain fell on six days of the week, to 

 the aggregate amount of 0.84 of an inch. 



The mean reading of the barometer for the week 

 ending December 18, was 29.32 in. The mean 

 temperature of the air was 3S.3 deg., and 2.8 deg. 

 below the average in the corresponding weeks of the 

 20 years ending 1868. The direction of the wind was 

 variable, and the horizontal movement of the air 

 averaged 14.5 miles per hour, which was 1.6 above 

 the average in the corresponding weeks of 16 years. 

 Rain fell on five days of the week, to the aggregate 

 amount of 0.67 of an inch. 



The mean reading of the barometer for the week _ 

 ending December 25, was 29.72 in. The mean 

 temperature of the air was 32.2 deg., and 7.3 deg. 

 below the average in the corresponding weeks of the 

 20 years ending 1S68. The general direction of the 

 wind was south-west, and the horizontal movement 

 of the air averaged 11.5 miles 'per hour, which was 

 1.2 below the average in the corresponding weeks of 

 16 years. Rain fell on two days of the week, to the 

 aggregate amount oi 0.34 ot an inch. 



For the week ending January 1, 1887, the mean 

 reading of the barometer was 29.89 in. The mean 

 temperature of the air was 32.7 deg., and 5.9 deg. 

 below the average in the corresponding weeks of the 

 20 years ending 1S68. The direction of the wind 

 was variable, and the horizontal movement of the air 

 averaged 1 1.6 miles per hour, which was 1.1 below 

 the average in the corresponding weeks of 16 years. 

 Rain or melted snow was measured on four days of 

 the week, to the aggregate amount of 1.47 of an inch. 



The weather of last year possessed little interest in 

 the first few months. We had a long dreary winter 

 and a cold cheerless spring. Summer also was cold and 

 backward, but as it advanced there were short fitful 

 bursts of intense heat until the be^inninc: of October. 



The early part of autumn was mild, but December 

 brought us most exceptional weather. Storms, frosts, 

 and floods showed us something of the good old- 

 fashioned winter which unthinking people often sigh 

 for. On the 26th of December we had a snowstorm 

 of almost unexampled severity, more general and 

 destructive than any we have experienced since the 

 1 8th of January, 1881. 



The following Table is compiled from the observa- 

 tions published in the Daily Weather Report of the 

 Meteorological Office. 



From this table it will be seen that the ther- 

 mometer reached a maximum of 87 in August, and 

 a minimum of 1 8° in January. This is the lowest 

 minimum recorded since 1881. The aggregate 

 rainfall for the year was 5 per cent, above the 

 average. The number of very cool days was much 

 larger than any year since 1879. This caused 

 a considerable increase in the number of deaths 

 due to diseases of the respiratory organs, which 

 were more numerous than in either of the three pre- 

 vious years. The winter, instead of commencing 

 in December and ending in February, commenced 

 in September and continued till March. The 

 observations of bright sunshine made at Green- 

 wich show that the winter season was more cloudy 

 than any since 1879. The mean temperature of the 

 spring was below the average in all parts of the 

 kingdom. During the week ending the 10th of 

 July there was a short spell of tropical heat. The 

 amount of bright sunshine registered at Greenwich 

 during the summer was, with the exception of 1885, 

 greater than in any year since 1877. Thunderstorms 

 were very frequent ; those of the 19th of July and the 

 13th of August being the most severe. The mean 

 temperature of the autumn months was much above 

 the average ; a maximum of 8o° was registered in 

 London on the 4th of October. The rainfall in the 



