YI. 



REPORT OX THE RAINFALL IN HERTFORDSHIRE IX THE 



YEAR 1893. 



By JoHif HoPKiNsoN, r.L.S., F.G.S., F R.Met.Soc. 



Mead at Watford, 17 th April, 1894. 



The number of our rainfall observers in the year 1 893 is greater 

 tban in any previous year, the records entered in our principal 

 table being 40, an increase of four upon the number for the year 

 1 892. The number of daily records received shows a still greater 

 increase, being 33, or six more than that for the previous year. 



Of the stations for which records appeared in the table for 1892, 

 one only is omitted this year, — Kytes, Watford, — no reply to my 

 applications having been received from the observer there. Against 

 this one loss there are five additions, records having been received 

 from Bancroft, Hitchin ; Pendley Manor, Tring ; Frogmore, and the 

 Colne Valley Water Works, Watford ; and Brocket Hall, Welwyn. 



These alterations increase the number of stations in the river- 

 district of the Hiz from three to four, in that of the Upper Thame 

 from one to two, in that of the Lower Colne from three to four, 

 and in that of the Mimram also from three to four. 



Particulars of the 40 rainfall stations, and the monthly and total 

 rainfall and number of days on which at least 0-01 inch of rain 

 fell, or, when the measurement is taken to thousandths of an inch, 

 0005 inch, are given in Tables I and II, pp. 35-37. 



A supplementary table (Table III, p. 38) gives five other records 

 of the total rainfall in the year. Two of these are the records of 

 additional gauges at Rothamsted, and three are taken from 'British 

 Rainfall, 1893.' The raiufall returned for Aldenham House, Elstree, 

 is not here given, the record being incomplete. 



The mean rainfall in the county in the year 1893 was 22'56 

 inches. This is 4" 18 inches below the mean for the decade 

 1880-89, and 3-87 inches below that for the half -century 

 1840-89.* The year was therefore a decidedly dry one. 



This is the third year in succession with about twice as much 

 rain in the second half as in the first. The fall in the first half of 

 1891 was 9"57 ias., in the second half, 20-05 ins. ; in the first half 

 of 1892, 8"67 ins., in the second half, 16"07ins. ; in the first half 

 of 1893, 7*35 ins., in the second half, 15-21 ins. The defect in the 

 first six months of 1893 is entirely due to the dryness of the four 

 months March to June, January and February having together 

 4-98 ins., or 2-49 ins. per month on the average, while March, 

 April, May, and June had an aggi'egate rainfall of 2-37 ins,, giving 

 an average monthly fall of only 0-59 in. 



Drou(/J/ts in 1893. — According to the definitions of Mr. Symons 

 (in 'British Rainfall') an " absolute drought" is a period of tnore 



* See ' Trans. Herts. Nat. Hist. Soc.,' Yol. YI, p. 84. 



VOL. VIII. — PAKT II. 3 



