356 The Weather of the Past Agricidtural Year. 



[Coutiuued f loiii page 35S.] 



collected, and in the Scilly and Chaimel Islands considerably 

 more than twice as much. The duration of bright sunshine 

 was unusually small, most districts receiving on an average at 

 least a couple of hours per day less than their due share. In 

 the north-east of England, where cloud was most prevalent, 

 the mean amount per day was less than 3^ hours as against an 

 average of nearly 6 hours, a loss of 2| hours per day. 



The Autumn op 1912. 



The absence of seasonable warmth which was so noticeable 

 during the latter part of the summer continued throughout 

 the earlier half of the autumn, no temperatures appreciably in 

 excess of the average being reported until November. The 

 season was also cloudy, but happily for the farmer it was 

 mostly dry, the fine weather of September proving an 

 invaluable boon in the numerous localities in which the 

 cereals, though cut, were still standing in the fields. 



In the south the improvement in the weather set in quite 

 early in September, when an anticyclone began to spread over 

 the country from the south-westward. After the first week 

 the improvement became general, and at many places in the 

 western and southern parts of the countrj^ an entii-e alisence 

 of rain lasted over twenty-six or twenty-seven days. The wind 

 was, however, mostly from some cool quarter, and, as the sky 

 was usually more or less cloudy, the thermometer failed to 

 rise to any high level. In the south-eastern quarter of England, 

 usually the warmest part of the kingdom, no shade reading as 

 high as 70° was recorded, but on the IGtli the thermometer 

 exceeded that level at several places in the west and north, 

 and touched 73 " at Whitby. Up to the 28th of the month it 

 seemed quite likely that the absence of rain would constitute 

 a record for September. On the two last days, however, a 

 very heavy fall occurred in the south and east of England, the 

 total amounting in many places to between 3 in. and 4 in. As 

 a result of this downpour, and in spite of the previous long 

 drought, the aggregate rainfall for the month over the eastern 

 half of the country was in several localities well in excess of 

 the average. 



The plumping rains experienced at the end of September 

 were followed by a fairly long spell of dry weather, and 

 between October 9 and 11 and on the 13th and 11th the 

 thermometer rose to between 60" and 65° in most districts. 

 Night frosts were, however, very common, the thermometer 

 on the grass falling on the 4th or 5th to 20" or less in manj^ 

 places and to 16° at Birmingham. After the 20th of the month 

 the weather became far less settled, and on the 26th and 27th 

 a heavy fall of rain occurred in all the more western districts. 



