Tlie Weather of the Past Agricxiltural Year. 351 



more than three times as much at Cullompton, and to nearly 

 three and a half times as much at Woolacombe,- in North 

 Devon. On the 4th, and again on the 21st, an exceedingly 

 heavy squall of wind, accompanied by sharp thunderstorms, 

 passed rapidly from west to east across the south of England. 

 At Falmouth the wind on the evening of the 4th reached a 

 velocity of 98 miles an hour, and at Dover a velocity of 71 

 miles was recorded the same niglit. 



April opened with strong northerly winds and showers of 

 snow, hail or sleet, and on the night of the Ist a sharp ground 

 frost occurred in most districts. Further sharp frosts were 

 experienced on the 10th and 11th and on the 17th and 18th, 

 but at the close of the first week the thermometer rose to a 

 high level, readings of 'od'" and 69" being observed in several 

 parts of the eastern counties. The warmest April weather 

 occurred, however, between the 19th and 21st, when the 

 thermometer rose above 70" in many localities, and touched 

 73° in London (at Camden Square). A period of dry weather 

 which set in over southern England in the closing week of 

 March afterwards Ijecame general, and in many parts of the 

 country there were not more than two or three days in April 

 with a measurable quantity of rain, some places in the south 

 having only one rainy day, and Dungeness none at all. Bright 

 sunshine was unusually prevalent, especially along the south 

 and east coasts, where the mean daily duration amounted in 

 many instances to more than nine hours. 



May was mostly cloudy and changeable, but, as a rale, dry. 

 The thermometer rose to a fairly high level on the 2nd, but the 

 warmest spring weather occurred on the 11th, when shade 

 readings of SO" and upw^ards were recorded in several parts of 

 eastern and southern England, the thermometer at Greenwich 

 touching 83". Sharp ground frosts occurred in the midlands 

 on the nights of the 4th and 5th, and destructive frosts were 

 experienced in the west and north on the 13th or 14th, 'and 

 very generally between the 24th and 2t)th. On the night of 

 the 25th the thermometer on the grass fell 8" below the freezing 

 point as far south even as Greenwich. Heavy falls of rain 

 were experienced in many districts between the 20th and 22nd, 

 more especially over the northern half of England. On the 

 22nd as much as 1*5 in. was recorded at Scarborough, Garforth, 

 and Ross (Hereford). 



For the spring as a whole the mean temperature was above 

 the average, the excess of warmth being greatest in the eastern 

 and north-eastern counties. Rainfall was in excess of the 

 normal in the midlands and the south-west of England, but 

 very deficient in the eastern counties ; in other parts of the 

 country it was in fair agreement with the average. Bright 



