[l8 THE CREAT FROST OF 189O-9I. 



In the extreme north of Scotland, as well as in the west of Ireland, the mean was 

 10 deg. higher than in the south-east of England. In the southern Midlands, 

 and in parts of the south of England, the mean temperature for the fifty-nine 

 days was more than 10 deg. below the average, but in the north of England the 

 deficiency did not amount to 5 deg., and in the extreme north of Scotland it was 

 less than i deg. 



The lowest authentic reading was o-6 deg. at Stokesay, in Shropshire, but 

 almost equally low temperatures occurred at other periods of the frost. At many 

 places in the south and south-west of England, as well as in parts of Scotland and 

 Ireland, the greatest cold throughout the period occurred at the end of November ; 

 and at Waddon, in Surrey, the thermometer fell to i deg., a reading quite unpre- 

 cedented at the close of the autumn. At Addington Hills, near Croydon, the 

 thermometer was below the freezing point each night, with one exception ; and 

 there were only two exceptions at Cambridge and Reading ; while in the Shet- 

 lands there were only nine nights with frost, although at Biarritz frost occurred 

 on thirty-one nights, and at Rome on six nights. At many places in England 

 the frost was continuous night and day for twenty-five days, but at coast stations 

 in the north of Scotland it in no case lasted throughout the twenty-four hours. 

 On the coast of Sussex the temperature of the sea was about 14 deg. higher than 

 the air throughout December, but on the Yorkshire coast it was only 6 deg. 

 warmer, and in the Shetlands and on parts of the Irish coast it was only 3 deg. 

 warmer. 



The Thames water off Deptford, at 2 ft. below the surface, was continuously 

 below 34 deg. from December 23rd to January 23rd, a period of thirty-two days, 

 while the river was blocked with ice the greater part of the time. In Regent's Park 

 skating continued uninterruptedl}' for forty-three days, where the ice attained a 

 thickness of over 9 in. The frost did not penetrate to the depth of 2 ft. below the 

 surface of the ground in any part of England, but in many places, especially in the 

 south and east, the ground was frozen for several days at the depth of i ft. and at 

 6|in. for upwards of a month. In the neighbourhood of London the cold was more 

 prolonged than in any previous frost during the last century, the next longest 

 spell being 52 days in the winter of 1794-5, while in 1838 frost last lasted for fifty 

 days, and in 1788-9 for fortj'-nine days. At Greenwich the mean was 9-5 deg. below 

 thetaverage, and in some parts it was more than 10 deg. below, while in the extreme 

 north of Scotland it was approximately in agreement with average conditions. 

 Mr. Harding also mentioned the singular fact that on only one day — January 

 13th — was the mean daily temperature at Greenwich in excess of the average 

 daily mean for sixty years. The frost throughout was remarkable on account of 

 the absence of any high temperatures. Nearly all the prolonged frosts of the last 

 century, said Mr. Harding, were followed by a fairly dry spring and summer, but 

 the accompanying weather was by no means always hot. 



Mr. Harding explained the great difference between the temperatures of 

 Scotland and Ireland and that of England by the fact that during the whole 

 period there was a large area of high barometric readings over Europe which 

 maintained its own limits. The incoming disturbances from the Atlantic could 

 not make headway into Europe, but skirted to the westward of our islands, their 

 centres keeping well out into the Atlantic. Consequently our westward coasts 

 felt the warming influence of these disturbances, although the weather remained 

 comparatively quiet. lingland, especially as to the eastern parts, was not at all 

 affected by these disturbances. 



