The Weather of the Past Agricultural Year. 353 



30" lower than those of the preceding three or four days. 

 Between the 24th and 26th another slight touch of warmth 

 occurred, the thermometer rising a trifle above 80*^ in the 

 London district. The closing days of July were, however, 

 for the most part cool and unsettled, with frequent thunder- 

 storms and heavy falls" of rain in nearly all districts. At 

 many places in the north and east of England the total 

 rainfall for the month was more than twice as much as the 

 normal. In the north the weather was also extremely cloudy, 

 the duration of sunshine at York and Durham being con- 

 siderably less than one half of the average. 



In August the absence of summer warmth was remarkable, 

 the mean temperature of the month being the lowest observed 

 for at least forty years past. Only at a few scattered places in 

 the south did the thermometer ever pass beyond 70", and at a 

 large number of places in the west and north it never reached 

 65", the daily maxima over the country generally being often 

 below 60". Thunderstorms were less common than in June or 

 Jul}', but heavy falls of rain were experienced in all districts, 

 most frequently', perhaps, in the west and south-west of 

 England, where the total for the month amounted to between 

 two and two and a half times as much as the average. The 

 worst rainstorm occurred, however, in what is usually regarded 

 as one of the driest parts of the country. Commencing quite 

 early on the 26th a torrential downpour in East Anglia lasted 

 for some twenty-six or thirty hours, and in an oval area 

 covering about 180 square miles, and extending from the Norfolk 

 Broads to Wymondham, the total for the forty-eight hours 

 ended with the morning of the 27th was considerably over 

 7 in. At stations in Norwich the fall in the twenty-four hours 

 ended with 9 a.m. on the 27th amounted to between 6*5 in. 

 and 6' 7 in., while at Brundall, about six miles to the south- 

 eastward of the city, it was no less than 7*3 in. Since the year 

 1860 there were very few instances of so wet a day in any part 

 of the United Kingdom, and it may therefore readily be 

 concluded that for one of the driest portions of the country 

 the East Anglian fall of August 26 was easily, and by a long 

 way, a record. The excessive downpour resulted in disastrous 

 floods, covering a wide area, and causing immense damage to 

 crops and to structures of various kinds, with some loss of life. 

 For the summer, as a whole, the mean temperature was 

 considerably below the average, but in most districts it was 

 higher than in the inclement summers of 1879 and 1888. 

 In the midland counties the season was warmer than in 

 1888 but cooler than in 1879. Rainfall was greatly in 

 excess of the normal. In the midland and south-western 

 districts nearly twice as much as the average quantity was 



[Continued on page 356. 

 VOL. 73. N 



