XXI. 



OBSERVATTOXS OF TEMrERATURE AND RAINFALL TAKEN AT 

 THRUCKING RECTORY, BUNTINGFORD, 1880-1889. 



By the Ret. C. Wigan Harvey, M.A. 



Read at Watford, I8th April, 1893. 



Tnis paper is an attempt to place before those who take an 

 interest in meteorological statistics, the results of observations 

 taken daily at 9 a.m., at Throcking Rectory, near Buntingford, 

 during the ten years 1880-89. 



The altitude of the station is 483 feet above mean sea-level. 

 The thermometers, a mercury maximum and spirit minimum, are 

 by Xegretti and Zambra, have been verified at Kcw Observatory, and 

 are enclosed in a Stevenson's screen with their bulbs 4 feet above 

 the surface of the ground. The rain-gauge, which is of the 

 Snowdon pattern, is of 5 inches diameter, the top being 12 inches 

 above the surface of the ground. As the receiver is capable of 

 containing 8 inches of rain, I have never had the mortification of 

 recording an overflow. 



The year 1884 showed the highest, and the year 1888 the lowest 

 mean temperature, whilst the driest years were 1884 and 1887, 

 and the wettest year was 1882. Although the actual rainfall in 

 1887 was slightly less than in 1884, the number of days on which 

 rain fell in 1887 exceeded the number in 1884 by twelve. 



The Year. Temperature. — The mean for the 1 years was 

 47°-4, the years 1880, 2, 3, and 4 being above, and the years 1881, 

 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 being below that average. The highest mean 

 temperature, 48°'8, occurred in 1884, and the lowest, 46°'2, in 

 1888. The absolute range of temperature was between 89°'6 on 

 July 15th, 1881, and 10°-7 on January 22nd, 1881, so that practi- 

 cally the range for 1881 was the range for the whole decennial 

 period. Rainfall. — The average annual fall was 24*52 inches, the 

 years 1880, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 9 having more, and the years 1884, 7, 

 and 8 having less than that average. The greatest yearly fall was 

 27"92 inches in 1882, and the smallest was 18'26 inches in 1887 ; 

 the fall in 1884 was 18-39 inches. The heaviest daily fall was 

 2"60 inches on July 12th, 1889, the result of a series of thunder- 

 storms. The average number of days upon which rain fell was 

 167 ; this number was exceeded in 1881, 3, 5, and 8. The greatest 

 number of days upon which rain fell was 193, in 1882, and the 

 least number 138, in 1884. 



Winter (December, January, February). Temperature. — The 

 mean temperature was 37°-3, the winters of 1882, 3, 4, 5, and 7 

 being above, and the winters of .1880, 1, 6, 8, and 9 being below 

 that average. The coldest winter was 34°-9, in 1880-81, and the 

 warmest, 39°-8, in 1883-84. The absolute range of temperature 

 was between 56°-6 on January 10th, 1888, and 10°-7 on January 



