THE FEOSTS OF EECEXT YEARS. 289' 



rare than in January. The coldest December in a record; 

 of 120 years had a mean temperature of 29-0. The coldest 

 January had a mean of 23'9. These very rare extremes 

 occurred respectively in the years 1788 and 1795. 



The frost which thus reduced the mean temperature of the 

 entire month to within two degrees of the coldest December 

 on record may be said to have set in on the 9th day, and to 

 have continued till the 31st. There had been very cold 

 weather about the end of November, but this was separated 

 from the December frost by a comparatively mild interval. 

 The 23 days from December 9th to the end of the month had 

 a mean temperature of 28"8, and the minimum of the period 

 was 18"8 on the 15th. 



The commencement of the new year witnessed a sensible 

 mitigation of the cold, and on several days in the first half, 

 of January there was a rather decided thaw. The night 

 temperatures, however, continued low, and the frost did not 

 finally break up until the 20th of Januar^^-, the two previous . 

 days — the 18th and 19th — being the coldest of the season. 

 The minimum on the 18th was 18-0 ; on the 19th, 15*5. The 

 mean temperature of the first 19 days of January was 30"7. 



Combining the last 23 days of December with the first 19 

 days of January, we get a period of 42 days with a mean 

 temperature of 29*7. 



It may be worth while to take a yet more comprehensive 

 view. A rapid and continuous fall of temperature set in on 

 the 24th of November, 1890, and from the 25th of November 

 to the 19th of January following, it is doubtful if there was. 

 a single day the mean temperature of which was not below 

 the average. Regarding this period of 56 days (or just 8 

 weeks) as one of continued cold, although not of continued 

 frost, we find its mean temperature to have been 30'9 degrees. 

 This is perhaps the most remarkable feature of the season. 



