TAKEN AT ■WANSFOED nOTJSE, •WATFOED, 1878. 219 



nearest "Watford at about 5 p.m. On the 30th, during the thunder- 

 storm Avhich lasted from noon to 3 p.m., I have 1*99 in. recorded; 

 and on the same day Mr. Clinton Baker recorded 3" 12 ins. between 

 11*30 a.m. and 4-30 p.m. at liayfordbury, and Mr. James Mylne 

 2"35 ins. at Amwell from 1 1 '30 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the neighbourhood 

 of Hertford damage to the extent of some thousands of pounds was 

 done by the excessive rainfall, many houses were inundated, several 

 bridges were more or less completely destroyed, including the 

 principal bridge in Hertford, which was entirely washed away, and 

 others were much injured ; at Hatfiekl several houses were flooded, 

 including the Public Library, where some 500 volumes of books were 

 spoiled, and the Post Office ; and at Chesliunt and other places in 

 the county many houses were flooded and considerable damage was 

 done. A full account of this storm and of the damage done by it in 

 the county appeared the ' Hertfordshire Mercury ' of the 6th of 

 July ; and detailed accounts of this and the previous thunderstorms 

 in June are given in Mr. Symons' * Monthly Meteorological Maga- 

 zine.' * 



July. 



Atmospheric pressure, which had been increasing during the 

 latter part of June, continued generally high. The range up to 

 the 1 9th, after which day, owing to my absence from home, baro- 

 metric observations were not taken, was 0'491 in., from 29-872 ins. 

 on the 2nd to 30-363 ins. on the 18th. 



Air temperature was tolerably equable, and the mean was exactly 

 1° higher than in June. For the first three days, however, the 

 temperature was rather low, from the 4th to the 9th high, from 

 the 10th to the 16th low again, and the warmest period in the 

 whole month was from the 17th to the 23rd. 



The wind was northerly (N.E. to N.W.) for the first six days, 

 then westerly to the 12th, northerly from the 13th to the 19th, 

 then E., and S.W. to N.W. and N. for the remainder of the month. 



Erom the 4th to the 24th only 0-02 in. of rain fell, there being 

 thus about three weeks almost without rain, and nearly all the 

 rain of the month fell therefore from that day to the 29th. 



A thunderstorm occurred on the 24th, the only day on which 

 there was any considerable amount of rain. 



August. 



Atmospheric pressure was low the greater part of the month, 

 and showed a tendency to decrease from its commencement. It 

 varied after the 6th, up to which date barometric observations were 

 not taken, from 29-358 ins. on the 30th to 30-166 ins. on the 9th, 

 giving a recorded range of 0-808 in. 



Although the mean temperature was slightly higher than in July, 

 there was no very warm period, and the maximum was under 77°. 



The wind varied from N.E. to S.E. to the 6th, was generally 

 westerly or south-westerly to the 18th, almost due E. from the 



* Vol. xiii, pp. 81-89, and 97-99. 



