Meterology of the year 1861. 39 



day the thermometer stood at 36°7 degrees, and in 24 hours it 

 fell to — 5°0 degrees below zero, showing a difference of 41°7 

 degrees in that short period ; this sudden change was accom- 

 panied by a rise in the barometer and a high wind from the west; 

 December showed a cold term but of short duration ; the following 

 table shows the temperature : — 



Dec. 20th, at 9 p.m.— 0.0 



Midnight — 10.0 (below zero) 



21st, 6 a.m.— 10.1 " 



11 " __ 3.2 « 



Noon — 0.5 " 



0.20 0.0 *' 



This was the Ist cold term of the winter 1861-2. 



Humidity of the Atmosphere. — The mean relative humidity 

 for the year was 0.774, saturation being equal to 1.000. 

 The following table shows the relative humidity for each month : 



January 752|May 7 70 September. . . .804 



February 755June 735 October 843 



March 768 July 765:N'ovember. . . .787 



April 780|August 736 December .. . .796 



June was the driest month of the year, but July has been the 

 driest for a series of years. Complete saturation occurred only 

 once during the year. 



Rain. — Fell on 106 days, amounting to 46.701 inches; it was 

 raining 531 hours and 14 minutes, and was accompanied by 

 thunder on 16 days ; the number of days on which rain fell exceeded 

 by 13 the number of days of rain of 1860, and by 112 hours 14 

 minutes, but was 5 days less than the number of rainy days in 

 1859, but exceeded by 33 days the amount of days of rain com- 

 pared with a series of years ; the amount of rain which fell in 1859 

 was 50.035 inches, and in 1860 was 48.132 inches, and the 

 amount of rain in 1861 exceeded by 3.697 inches the average 

 amount compared with a series of years ; a very heavy rain 

 storm occurred on the 27tb May, it began at 4.25 p.m. from 



h.m. Inches. 



the E.N.E. and at 4.45 the fall registered 1.700 

 4.50 {wind veered to ^¥.) 2.066 

 4.53 2.333 



4.55 2.433 



5.00 2.483 



and ceased at 5.10 and equalled 2.48C inches, 



