220 J. nOPKINSON METEOKOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 



19tli to the 24th, and then varying, from almost every point of 

 the compass, to the end of the month. 



The rainfall was excessively heavy, this heing the wettest month 

 in the year. There were not more than two days together without 

 rain, and from the 9th to the 1 6th rain fell every day. With this 

 almost continuous wet weather there were also many heavy falls, 

 mostly occasioned by thunderstorms, more than half an inch of rain 

 falling on the 3rd, 10th, 13th, and 22nd, and about the third of an 

 inch on the 5th, 29th, and 31st. 



A severe thunderstorm occurred on the 10th, lasting from about 

 7-30 to 8-15 p.m., with a fall of 0-52 in. of rain, and thunderstorms 

 also occurred on the 3rd, 4th, 23rd, and 24th, that on the 3rd being 

 accompanied by a fall of 83 in. of rain. 



There was a gale of wind on the night of the 29th and morning 

 of the 30th. 



September. 



Atmospheric pressure was high and equable as in July the first 

 half of the month, but afterwards lower and more variable. The 

 range was 0-559 in., from 29-727 ins. on the 25th to 30-286 ins. 

 on the 2nd. 



Air temperature also did not vary much, but the last half of the 

 month was decidedly cooler than the first half, the decrease from 

 August in mean temperature being entirely due to the last fifteen 

 or sixteen days. ^ 



The prevailing direction of the wind was northerly to the 13th, 

 but S., S.W., or W. occasionally, S."W. or W. from the 14th to the 

 24th, S.E. on the 25th, and south-westerly for the remainder of the 

 month. 



The small amount of rain which fell was distributed pretty 

 evenly over the month, but the rainfall was less during the first 

 than during the second half of the month, corresponding with the 

 difference in barometric pressure. 



October. 



The pressure of the atmosphere varied from 29-005 ins. on the 

 26th to 30-352 ins. on the 13th, giving a range of 1-347 in., con- 

 siderably more than in the previous five months. There was a 

 considerable barometric depression from the 2nd to the 10th, fol- 

 lowed by a very rapid rise, from 29-259 ins. at 9 a.m. on the 10th 

 to 30-385 ins. at 9 a.m. on the 12th (1-126 in. in two days), after 

 which pressure decreased gradually to the minimum on the 26th, 

 increasing to the end of the month. 



Temperature fell considerably, and the long severe winter of 

 1878-79 may be said to have begun on the 27th, for the mean 

 temperature of the last five days in the month was as low as SS'^-S, or 

 16°-0 below the mean of the month. The minimum sank to below 

 32° on three days, the 13th, 27th, and 30th. 



The wind was southerly, inclining to "W., to the 13th, E. or KE. 

 to the 20th, and south-westerly (occasionally jS'.AV.) to the end of 

 the month. 



