58 J. HOPKINSOX — METEOKOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 



During the first week in the montli there were several thunder- 

 storms, with heavy rain, and there was a recurrence of 

 thunderstorms at the end of the month. The most severe one was 

 on Wednesday the 29th. At St. Albans between 8 and 10 p m. 

 more than half an inch of rain fell, and at Berkhamsted nearly 

 half an inch. In some parts of the county the fall was more than 

 double that at St. Albans, but the duration has not been reported. 

 Much of the low-lying land in the Lea Valley was flooded, and 

 roads about Hertford were submerged ; near Hatfield a cyclist had 

 his machine wrecked by the lightning, escaping uninjured himself ; 

 near Harpenden a tree was struck and thrown across the road just 

 in front of two cyclists, who ran against it and were thrown off 

 their machines; and at Bishop's Stortford a concert was interrupted 

 for an hour by the incessant peals of thunder. Both on this day 

 and the 2nd, stacks of corn were struck and set on fire. 



October. — A bout as much warmer than the average as September 

 was colder, with average humidity and cloud, but a very small 

 rainfall on rather fewer days than usual. October is usually about 

 nine degrees colder than September, but this year the fall in 

 temperature from one month to the other was scarcely five degrees. 

 The day temperature was mostly in excess of the average, the daily 

 range being considerable. There was a very slight decrease from 

 September in bright sunshine, and only one day was sunless. On 

 the night of the 5th-6th the exposed thermometer at Berkhamsted 

 showed five degrees of frost, on that of the 7th-8th the shade 

 temperature sank to 30°, but on that of the 16th-17th only 

 to 00°; the maxim;im shade temperature on the l7th was 67°, and 

 on the 29th and 30th 63° ; at St. Albans on each of these days it 

 was one degree less. These are very high readings for so late in 

 October. There was much fog at St. Albans during the last week 

 in the month (25th to 31st). 



November. — Another rather warm month, a little more humid 

 than usual, very cloudy, but with a very small rainfall on rather 

 fewer days than iisual. The excess in temperature was almost 

 entirely due to the days being warm, the daily range being 

 considerable. There was an unusually small amount of bright 

 sunshine, and half the days in the month were quite sunless. The 

 last week was very stormy, and although the wind was frequently 

 high, nearly every morning was foggy. At Berkhamsted during 

 the 12 hours ending 6 am. on the 29th the wind blew at the 

 mean velocity of 21 miles an hour, and between 6 and 7 at 

 the rate of 25 miles ; from the west. 



December. — Unusually mild, with a rather dry atmosphere, an 

 average amount of cloud, and a heavy rainfall on a large number 

 of days. In the previous ten years the only other December with 

 so high a temperature was that of 1894. The day temperatures 

 were a little more above the average than the night temperatures, 

 the daily range being rather greater than usual. Although the 

 record of bright sunshine was again small, it was slightly higher 

 than in November, and above the December average ; nearly half 



