88 J. HOPKrySOX METEOEOLOGICAL OBSERYATIONS 



The year 1895 was cold on the whole, but persistently warm 

 throughout the summer, the defect in temperature being almost 

 entirely due to the very cold January and excessively cold 

 February ; October, also, was a very cold month, while September 

 was very warm. The mean daily range of temperature was 

 greater than usual, chiefly owing to the high day temperatures 

 in September, and, to a less degree, in June. The mean pressure 

 of the atmosphere was about the average of the ten years 1877-86 

 at Watford The lowest pressure recorded at 9 am. was 28"862 ins. 

 on 28th March, and the highest was 30-624 ins. on 2nd May, 

 giving a range of 1 762 in. The rainfall was much below the 

 average of the ten years 1877-86, and a little below a long-period 

 average. The number of wet days was much less than usual. 

 February, May, June, and September were very dry months ; July, 

 August, and November were very wet. While the humidity of 

 the air was about the average throughout the year, it was very 

 unequally distributed in the months, February being excessively 

 dry, and July also very dry, while in March and April the air was 

 very moist. The prevailing direction of the wind was westerly. 

 The most memorable feature of the year will be the ten weeks' 

 frost with which it commenced ; but more abnormal even than this 

 was the heat of September. 



In the winter of 1894-95 (December to February) the mean 

 pressure of the atmosphere was a little below the average, the 

 mean temperature was excessively low, with about an average 

 mean daily range, the air was very dry, the sky of average bright- 

 ness, and the rainfall very small, but on about the usual number of 

 days. A mild and rather wet December was followed by a cold 

 and wet January, and on the 26th of that month a very cold period 

 set in, continuing throughout the greater part of February, the 

 persistence of the cold weather throughout the greater part of 

 January and February being the most remarkable feature of the 

 winter. Probably in no previous winter has the water-supply 

 been so much interfered with owing to burst service-pipes. 



In the spring (March to May) the mean pressure of the atmo- 

 sphere was about the average, the mean temperature was rather 

 high, with a considerable mean daily range, the air was humid, the 

 sky of average brightness, and the rainfall very small, on a small 

 number of days. The high mean temperature was due to the 

 warmth of the days, the nights not being warmer than usual. On 

 the 30th of May the high maximum of 82°'3 was reached. 



In the summer (June to August) the mean pressure of the 

 atmosphere was rather high, the mean temperature was about the 

 average, with a considerable mean daily range, the air was rather 

 diy, the sky very bright, and the rainfall very heavy, but on less 

 than the usual number of days. The average daily rainfall during 

 the last half of the summer was ten times as great as it was during 

 the first half, and seven and a half times as great as it was 

 during the long dry period which lasted from the latter part of 

 the winter to the middle of the summer. 



