THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. 253 



warmest 73. The means at sunrise and noon were 51 and 63. There 

 was much cloudy weather, with occasional moderate rains. The pre- 

 vailing winds were from west and south. The first southeasterly 

 storm, in '51, was on the 8th ; in '52, on the lolh ; and in '53, on the 

 16th. Quantity of rain in the three years, respectively, 2 inches, 5| 

 inches, and 1-^ inches. 



December was more pleasant than common. The coldest morning 

 was 40 and the warmest 54 ; the coldest noon 50 and the warmest 69. 

 The means at sunrise and noon were 46^ and 57^. Hoar frosts were 

 frequent ; but the cold was not sufficient to injure vegetation. A 

 copious rain fell on the lOlh, and several hght rains at other times. 

 Prevailing wnnds from north, northwest, northeast, and south. Thun- 

 der was heard on the 10th, for the second time in the year. In De- 

 cember '50, there fell 1 inch of lain; '51, 7 inches; '52, 12 inches — 

 the greatest quantity in any one month for three years and more ; in 

 '53, 2 inches. 



The summing up for the year 1853 exhibits a mean temperature of 

 51^ at sunrise, and 65 at noon, which is warmer by two degrees than 

 either J 851 or 1852. The lowest point reached by the mercury was 

 40 — or eight degrees above the freezing point. The extreme of heat 

 was 88. In 1852, the extremes were 35 and 98; in 1851, 30 and 84; 

 and in December, 1850, the thermometer fell as low as 28. The 

 amount of rain in each month of 1853 was, in round numbers, as fol- 

 lows : January, on eight days, 4 inches ; February, four days, 1 inch ; 

 March, six days, 5 inches ; April, eight days, 5 inches ; May, three 

 days, 3^ inch ; June, July, and August, none ; September, two days, 

 ^ inch ; October, one day, 1-10 inch ; November, eight days, 1^ inches ; 

 December, six days, 2 inches ; making, in the year, forty-four days on 

 which rain fell, to the depth of 19 inches. In 1851, there was rain on 

 fifty-three days — quantity, 15 inches; in 1852, on sixty days — quantity, 

 25i inches. From the first of January, 1853, to the dry season, the 

 quantity was 16^ inches ; and from the dry season to the end of the 

 year, 3"^ inches. The last rain of the spring was May 24th, and the first 

 of the autumn was September 15th. The hills began to look green in 

 the last week of November, and at the close of the year at least thirty 

 species of plants were in bloom around the city, some of them the 

 lingering flowers of summer, and a few the products of a new growth. 

 There were two small specimens of thunder during the year, none of 

 the aurora borealis, and a considerable sprinkling of meteors in the 

 second week of August, and also in the fourth week of November. 



