Meteorology of 1901. 159 



deficiencies amounting- to 7'7 deg. The other months were either 

 up to or above the average, the excess being 13-4 deg\ The 

 largest excesses were in May and July, the latter of which had a 

 mean of 64-6 deg-., being 5 deg. above the average, and the former 

 more than 2 deg. May was an exceedingly favourable month, 

 and July oppressively warm. It may give a moi'e definite idea 

 of the kind of weather in May and July if I specify the number of 

 days in each month which had maximum temperatures of 70 deg. 

 and above in the shade. In May there were twelve, ranging 

 from* 70 deg. to 75 deg. In June there were only three. But 

 again in July there were twenty-five, and of these seven were 

 above 80 deg. and one 91 deg. In August there were thirteen, 

 and one up to 80 deg. Thus the cold of the early spring months, 

 and even of June, were more than compensated by the unusual 

 warmth of May and July, which was extended also into August, 

 and the result was that the harvest, instead of being- later than 

 usual, as was at one time feared, was earlier and also excellent in 

 quality. Hence we are prepared to find that the mean annual 

 temperature of 1901 was somewhat above the average. The 

 mean of 15 years is 47 8 deg. It has ranged from 46 deg. to 

 49-5 deg. This last year it is 48-3 deg. The warmest years of 

 the period were in 1893, when it was 49*4 deg., and in 1898, when 

 it was 49 5, and the only other years on which it was in excess of 

 that of 1901 were 1896 with a record of 48-5 deg., and 1899 with 

 a record of 48*6 deg. Thus there have been only four years out 

 of the fifteen with a higher mean temperature than 1901. The 

 coldest month was December, with a mean of 37 deg., as compared 

 with an average of 39 '2 deg. But February and March were 

 also very cold months, and even June was about 3 deg. short of its 

 average. If it had not been for these drawbacks, involving 74 

 nights on which the protected thermometer fell to and below 32 

 deg., with an aggregate of 302 deg. of frost, the year would 

 probably have been as warm as either 1893 or 1898. 



Rainfall. — There were 187 days in 1901 on which rain or 

 snow fell (rain 169, snow 18). Mean of 15 years, 199. The 

 heaviest fall in 24 hours was on the 22d June, when the amount 

 registered was 1-08 in. There was only one other day on which 

 the amount was up to 1 in., viz., the 2d April. The rainiest 

 month was October with a record of 4'78 in., and the next was 



