18 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



western Connecticut towards central Rhode Island, from 20 J'' to 23^at 

 about 40 miles an hour. It was the first of the season for this district. 

 On the 5th, there was a general rain over New England, with low tem- 

 perature and northeasterly winds during the morning, while the centre 

 of low pressure moved from eastern New York southeastward over 

 Long Island, or perhaps a little farther south. The rain seems to have 

 bef^un, or at least to have distinctly increased, about the time that sev- 

 eral peals of thunder were heard, their place of occurrence advancing 

 southeastward with much regularity from southern Vermont at 5|^ to 

 southeastern Massachusetts at 10\ with a velocity of 28 miles an hour. 

 Several careful observers in Connecticut and Rhode Island report that 

 the low scud clouds moved with the surface wind from the northeast, 

 while higher clouds could be sometimes seen above, moving from the 

 northwest or west, in accordance with the advance of the storm ; this 

 was especially visible during a break in the clouds reported from sev- 

 eral stations, at 8''.4o in central Connecticut, at 9\35 in the eastern 

 part of the State, and about 10^ in Rhode Island ; but this cannot be 

 considered as the "eye" of the passing cyclonic storm, as the barom- 

 eter continued to fall for several hours afterwards, and the wind did 

 not veer to north or northwest till noon or later, the temperature being 

 from 60° to 70° during the morning. The time of passage of the 

 lowest atmospheric pressure was a little after noon in eastern Con- 

 necticut and Rhode Island ; it was accompanied by brisk northeast to 

 north winds, thunder with an increase of rain, and a marked fall of 

 temperature to below 50° in the later afternoon and evening, as the 

 cloud cleared away with north or northwest winds. The afternoon 

 thunder-storm moved eastward 20 or more miles an hour : it was not 

 felt north of Rhode Island. 



June G, 7. On June 6, there were no reports of thunder, (if we 

 except an isolated report, probably misdated for June 5,) the signal 

 service weather maps showing that New England was on this day tra- 

 versed by an area of high pressure, moving southeasterly. On June 7, 

 there was rising temperature with southerly winds, flowing in obedi- 

 ence to the call of a low pressure centre north of the lower Lakes ; the 

 day was fair, and no storms were reported till evening, when three 

 observers, far apart in western, central, and eastern Massachusetts, 

 report local or distant thunder-showers : at this time the centre of low 

 pressure was nearing Montreal, on its way down the St. Lawrence. 



June 8. This was a day of greater warmth (mean maximum, 80°, 

 Table I.) and numerous reports, while the centre of low pressure tra- 

 versed the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Thunder was heard and rain came 



