VIIT. 



REPOET ON THE EAINFALL IN HERTFORDSHIRE IN 1881. 



By the Eev. C. W. Haevet, M.A., F.M.S. 



Head at Watford, 2lst March, 1882. 



OuE list of observers this year contains two fresh names, i.e. 

 Mr. A. C. McKenzie, of Hoddesdon, where it may be remembered 

 observations were formerly made (1861-77) ; and Mr. E. 0. 

 Fordham, of Odsey. Both these are important additions. Hod- 

 desdon covers the upper part of the Lower Lea district, which 

 district was previously only represented by Southgate in the extreme 

 S. ; while at Odsey we have now a gauge which stands within the 

 actual boundary of the county. Bushey Heath also is again in its 

 old position at the head of our list, its absence last year having 

 been caused by the unfortunate loss of the record ; to guard against 

 any such possibility in future would it not be well if all observers 

 entered their observations in duplicate ? 



The mean rainfall for 1881 at 30 stations (28-85 ins.), although 

 slightly above the mean for 1870-79 (28 ins.) is less than it has 

 been in any year since 1874 ; in that year the mean rainfall at 

 13 stations was only 22*33 ; in 1875 at the same 13 stations it was 

 30-83 ; in 1876 at 22 stations it was 30-77 ; in 1877 at 26 stations 

 it was 31-15; in 1878 at 26 stations it was 29-80 ; in 1879 at 27 

 stations it was 32-21 ; and in 1880 at 27 stations it was 31-00. I 

 have given the number of stations recording just to show how 

 steady has been the increase of observers. Through the kindness of 

 the Revs. T. A. Preston and J. M. Du Port, who send me monthly 

 the table of rainfall which they compile for their respective counties, 

 i.e. Wilts and Norfolk, I am able to compare our own rainfall with 

 the fall in each of these counties, showing how the amount fines off 

 as we proceed from W. to E. The three counties lie upon that band 

 of chalk which intersects England in a north-easterly direction 

 from Dorset to Norfolk. If we take Devizes, Welwyn, and East 

 Dereham as roughly speaking the centre of Wilts, Herts, and 

 Norfolk, respectively, we shall find that as the crow flies the three 

 places are nearly equidistant. In Wilts the mean fall at 29 stations 

 last year was 31-97, or rather more than 3 inches above our mean 

 fall. In Norfolk the mean fall at 27 stations was 26-90, or rather 

 less than 2 inches below ours. The mean rainfall for the three 

 counties being 29-24, the fall in Wilts is 9% above, in Herts 2°/^ 

 below, and in Norfolk 8"/^ below this mean ; it will be seen then 

 that, lying midway between these two counties, our rainfall is as 

 nearly as possible the mean of the three. 



Distribution of Rainfall throughout the Year. — This was far more 

 equal than in the preceding year ; although unfortunately August 

 was the wet month, as in 1878 and 79; while April we may call 

 the dry month. On the one hand, January appears considerably 

 below the mean, but the fall of snow on the 18th must in some cases 



