TAKEN AT HOLLY BAJ^K, WATFOBD, 1876-77. 221 



great barometric depression. The storm commenced at about noon 

 and reached its height in the evening. The day will be remembered 

 as that of one of the evening meetings of our Society, access to 

 which the storm rendered almost impossible. In the neighbour- 

 hood of Hitchin the snowstorm was more violent than at Watford, 

 the drift there being in some places six feet deep, and vehicles 

 had to be left on the roads completely buried in the snow. The 

 next morning it measured a foot deep where it had not drifted. 

 For the first half of the month the wind was very variable, but 

 most often westerly to the 14th, when it changed to N.E. On the 

 18th it changed to S.W., the prevailing direction to the end of the 

 month, and on this day the temperature agaiu rose to nearly 49°, 

 the mean of the remaining days in the month. No rain fell until 

 the 9th, but rain or snow almost daily from then. 



May. — Atmospheric pressure was above 30 ins. every day except 

 from the 22nd to the 27th, and then it was only slightly less. 

 The mean temperature to the 19th was about the same as the 

 mean of the previous month, the slight increase of 2°'6 shown in 

 the table being due to the warmer weather which set in on the 20th. 

 The minimum in both April and May was below 32° on five days. 

 Until the 20th the wind was mostly easterly, but after then westerly 

 (or S. to N.W.). All the rain in the month fell on the six days 

 when the barometer was below 30 inches, excepting -02 in. on 

 the 2nd, and the same amount on the 15th. This was the driest 

 month in the year, both in respect to the rainfall and the humidity 

 of the air, as may be seen by the table. 



June. — Atmospheric pressure was remarkably uniform, the 

 maximum range being only half an inch, from 29-724 at 9 a.m. 

 on the 9th to 30-196 at 9 p.m. on the 27th. No considerable rise 

 in the temperature occurred until the 12th, which was 10° warmer, 

 at 9 a.m., than the previous day. The warmest days were the 

 20th and 21st — the temperature being respectively, at 9 a.m., 73"^ 

 and 73°-4. The maximum was above 80° on the 21st only. The 

 wind was N.W. to S.W. to the 9th, when it changed to N.E., 

 which direction it maintained for three days, after which it became 

 N., and then for the latter half of the month mostly easterly but 

 very variable. Rain was pretty evenly distributed over the month, 

 but none fell the last six days. 



July. — For the first twelve days the mean temperature was 

 63°-3, the maximum during this period being 75°. On the 13th 

 the maximum had reached 82°, on the 14th 87°-2, and on the 15th 

 88°-2, this being the hottest day. The temperature then gradually 

 became lower, and towards the end of the month was lower than 

 at the beginning. The maximum was above 80° on nine days. 

 The prevailing direction of the wind was westerly (S.W. to 

 N.W.). Scarcely any rain fell until the end of the month, but 

 the last two days were very wet, -30 in. falling on the 30th and 

 •48 on the 31st. There was a severe thunderstorm on the 23rd. 

 Owing to my absence from home the latter part of the month, the 

 barometric and some other observations are incomplete. 



