52 J. nOPKIIfSOIf IklETEOEOLOGICAL OBSEHVATIONS 



and consequent lightness of the flakes, and he mentions, as showing 

 what a great protection to low-growing vegetation such a fall of 

 snow must prove, that on the nights of the 24th, 25th, and 26th 

 the temperature was respectively 6, 9, and 1 1 degrees higher 

 beneath the snow than immediately above it, the depth of snow 

 on these nights being 4 inches. 



FEBKUAitT. — Unusually mild, rather humid, very cloudy, and 

 with much rain, falling as snow during the first week. The frost 

 broke up on the 4th, having lasted 19 days. The mean night 

 temperature was 6 degrees above the average, the mean day 

 temperature 4 degrees above it, the daily range thus being 2 degrees 

 below the average. There was but little more sunshine than in 

 January, half the days in the month being sunless. An account 

 of the floods in the early part of the month has already been given 

 in my report on the rainfall. (See p. 31.) 



March. — Another warm month, with a rather dry atmosphere, 

 an average amount of cloud, and an excessively heavy rainfall 

 on an unusually large number of days. The excess of temperature 

 was chiefly due to the mildness of the nights, as in February, 

 though not to so great an extent. There were half as many more 

 hoiu's of bright sunshine than in January and February together. 

 The rainfall was considerably more than double the average of the 

 50 years 1840-89, the excess being over two inches. With 

 the heavy rainfall of Tuesday night, the 2nd, there was a severe 

 gale, interrupting telegraphic communication on the following day, 

 on which also floods again occiuTed. Between 1.30 and 2 p.m. on 

 the 4th there was a sharp fall of hail, accompanied by thunder 

 and lightning, and after the storm the ground was for a short 

 time completely covered with hailstones. This is reported from 

 Berkhamsted and St. Albans. The barometer showed the lowest 

 pressure in the year on the preceding day, the reading at St. Albans 

 at 9 a.m. on the 3rd being 28688 inches. There was a gale 

 of wind for a few hours after midday on the ISth and on the night 

 of the 26th. Snow and hail fell on the 31st. 



April. — Rather cold, with more than the average humidity, 

 a cloudy sky, and about an average rainfall. The third month in 

 succession with a small daily range of temperature, the nights 

 being rather warmer than usual, but the days considerably colder. 

 There was a little more bright sunshine than in March, but the 

 record was a low one for April. The 26th to the 29th were very 

 warm days, the maximum shade temperature at Berkhamsted and 

 St. Albans exceeding 63° on each day, and at Berkhamsted 68° 

 was reached on the 27th and 28th. At the latter place the 

 black bulb solar-radiation thermometer, suspended four feet from 

 the ground, rose to 125°, an unusually high reading for April, 

 Mr. Mawley says. A little snow fell in the earlier part of 

 the month. A thunderstorm occurred on the 16th in the north of 

 the county. 



May. — A cold month, with a dry atmosphere, a bright sky, and 

 a rather small rainfall on a small number of days. Both the days 



