178 J. HOPKINSON METEOROLOGICAL OBSEEVATIONS 



The year 1896 was rather warm, except towards the end of the 

 summer and throughout the autumn, October and November being 

 especially cold months ; on the other hand, January, March, and 

 June were very warm. The mean daily range of temperature was 

 less than usual, chiefly owing to the abnoiTual character of the 

 weather in September, the days being much colder and the nights 

 warmer than usual in that month. The mean pressure of the 

 atmosphere was much above the average. It was very high 

 throughout January and February, and especially so for the seven 

 days from 29th January to 4th February, the mean then being 

 30 744 inches (reduced to 32° and to sea-level). The lowest 

 pressure recorded at 9 a.m. was 28*687 ins. on 4th December, 

 and the highest was 30-925 ins. on 30th January, giving the 

 unusually large range of 2-238 ins. The rainfall was about the 

 average of a long period, but considerably below the average of 

 the ten years 1877-86. There were about as many wet days as 

 usual. Nearly three times as much rain fell in the second half of 

 the year as in the first half, the fall fi'om January to June being 

 7-68'ins., and from July to December 19-12 ins. March, October, 

 and December were very wet months, and September was exces- 

 sively wet, being the wettest month for the ten years during 

 which my observations have been taken at St. Albans, and wetter 

 than any month at Watford in the previous ten years during which 

 I took observations there, the nearest approach to it being in 

 October, 1882, when 6- 10 ins. of rain fell. The humidity of the 

 air was about the average, but it varied greatly during the year, 

 June and July having a very dry atmosphere, while in September 

 and December it was very moist. Thunderstorms were less 

 frequent than usual, and there were no very severe ones. 



In the winter of 1895-96 (Dec. to Feb.) the mean pressure of 

 the atmosphere was very high, the mean temperature was above the 

 average, with a considerable mean daily range, the relative 

 humidity and amount of cloud were about the average, and the 

 rainfall was very small and on very few days. January was 

 warmer than either December or February. The fertile flowers 

 of the hazel were open on the 16th of January, and the catkins 

 were then shedding; wasps appeared on the 19th of January, and 

 the honey-bee first visited flowers on the 8th of February. 



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

 sphere was high, the mean temperatm-e was considerably above the 

 average, with nearly the average mean daily range, the relative 

 humidity and amount of cloud were about the average, and the 

 rainfall was rather small, but on about the usual number of 

 days. March had three times as much rain as April and May 

 together, and was much more humid and cloudy than those months. 

 A partial drought commenced on the 17th of April and at the end 

 of May had lasted forty-five days, with 0-37 inch of rain. The 

 cuckoo was heard on the 10th of April, and the nightingale 

 on the 23rd. The hawthorn well merited its name of "may," 

 coming into fiower on May Day, 



