A. E. Verrill — The Bermuda Islands. 495 



76°; July, 80°; August, 81°. 1; Sept., 80°; Oct., 73°.7; Nov., 68°. The 

 average for the year is about 70° F., but ranges from 69°. 5 to 70°. 5. 

 But temperatures as low as 50° to 53° are not uncommon in winter ; 

 42° is rarely reached. It is rarely as high as 87° in summer, but the 

 mean relative humidity, during the summer months, ranges from 80 

 to 91. 



a. — Rainfall; Hall; Thunderstorms ; Fogs y Moisture. 



The amount of rainfall is large, and it seems to be somewhat larger 

 at Hamilton and Ireland Island than at St. George's. According to 

 Lefroy's tables, covering eleven and sixteen years, respectively, it 

 was 54.66 inches at Ireland Island and 48.61 inches at St. George's. 

 The amount near Hamilton in later years usually varied between 58 

 and 63 inches, but in 1898 was only 48.19, and in 1900 it was 67.05 

 inches. (See Tables, pp. 500-502.) 



The rainfall is usually pretty well distributed throughout the year, 

 but is generally greatest in October and November and least in the 

 summer months, when droughts are not uncommon, but seldom very 

 prolonged. Usually more or less rain falls on from one hundred and 

 ninety to two hundred and seven days ; and on at least half of the 

 days of all the months from November to April.* But in many 

 cases the rains are mere showers of very brief duration. 



Fogs are of rare occurrence, but really dense fogs are scarcely 

 known about the Bermudas, so that vessels rarely if ever get ashore 

 on that account. We observed land fogs in the early morning, 

 several times in March ; sometimes it was somewhat dense, bat it 

 soon passed away. 



The air is, for the greater part of the time, decidedly moist, as 

 shown by the tables below, and in the summer time it is often nearly 

 saturated with moisture, so that it is very oppressive to many persons. 



Several rather severe hailstorms have been recorded, but they are 

 not at all common. f Strachy records that in 1609: — "In the begin- 

 ning of December wee had great store of hayle." Lefroy says that 

 on Feb. 20, 1872, " the ground was in some places white with hail, 

 which did not disappear for some hours." 



* Owing to the amount of rainy weather in the cooler months, and the mois- 

 ture of the air generally, the climate of Bermuda is not well suited for many 

 invalids who go there. For consumptive patients, especially, who usually need 

 a dry climate, the conditions are not favorable. For nervous diseases it seems 

 to be excellent. 



f According to the New York papers a hailstorm occurred at Bermuda,. 

 April 21, 1902. 



