150 J. HOPKINSOjST METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 



afternoon of tlie 28th, with 0-28 inch of rain. On the Hth there 

 was a (lifPerence between the maximum and minimum temperature 

 in the shade of 28° at St. Albans, 32° at Berkhamsted, and 34° at 

 Hertford; and on the 31st the difference was still greater, being 31° 

 at St. Albans, 36° at Berkhamsted, and 39° at Hertford. 



August. — A very wann month, with a little less than the 

 average humidity, a rather bright sky, and a small rainfall, but 

 on nearly the usual number of days. The excess in temperature 

 was chiefly due to the wannth of the days, their average being 

 exceeded by nearly 5° ; the daily range was therefore great. 

 The rainfall was rather less than half the average. It was the 

 warmest August for the last twelve years except that of 1893. 

 The duration of bright sunshine was nearly as much above the 

 average as it was in July, but one or two days were sunless. 

 The warmest period was from the 11th to the 23rd, when the 

 maximum temperatui'e in the shade was never less than 75° 

 at either Berkhamsted, St. Albans, or Hertford. Thunderstoi-ms 

 were frequent between the 15th and 23rd. Between 3 and 4 a.m. 

 on the 16th there was a severe one at St. Albans, with but little 

 rain ; at Berkhamsted, however, half an inch of rain fell during 

 this stomi, and for five minutes it was falling at the rate of more 

 than an inch and a half per hour. 



September. — An exceedingly warm month, with a very di'v 

 atmosphere, a very bright sky, and much the smallest rainfall of 

 any month in the year, on very few days. The excess of 

 temperature was almost entirely due to the warmth of the days, 

 the mean maximum shade temperature being nearly 8° higher 

 than the average ; the daily range was therefore very great, and 

 during the last twelve years was only exceeded in April and 

 June, 1893. This is the warmest September in this period 

 except that of 1895, the temperature of which was practically 

 the same, and of the same character as to the days and nights. 

 There was an absolute di'ought of 18 days, Aug. 31 to Sept. 17, 

 at Royston, and of 19 days, Aug. 30 to Sept. 17, at Berkhamsted, 

 St. Albans, and New Barnet. The aggregate rainfall for the first 

 28 days in the month was less than a tenth of an inch. There was 

 an imusual amount of bright sunshine, but the duration was nearly 

 as great in September, 1895. At all stations the maximum 

 temperature in this month was the highest in the year. The 

 8th and 17th were much the hottest days. 



October. — Another very warm month, but with a rather more 

 humid atmosphere than usual, a cloudy sky, and the heaviest 

 rainfall in the year, though only about the average, and on 

 the average number of days. Unlike Sejitember, the nights 

 were unusually warni, the mean minimum shade temperature 

 being nearly 7° above the average, and 3° higher than in any 

 other October for the last twelve years ; the daily range was 

 thertfore small, in fact little more than half that of September. 

 There was considerably less bright sunshine than usual. On the 

 17th and 18th, in the middle of a period of heavy rainfall, 



