The Weather of 1908. 95 



laelow the freezing point, wliich is very unusual so late in the 

 season ; and it may be noted that on the same nights the 

 minimum on the grass fell to 17 degs. and 15 degs. On the 

 whole the spring months were exceedingly ungenial. March 

 was boisterous as usual, and somewhat colder than February, 

 and April was noted as, on the whole, one of the most unspring- 

 like months for many years. But in contrast with this, May was 

 an ideal spring month, and by its genial showers and its more 

 than average sunniness and warmth did much to compensate for 

 the defects of its predecessors, and ushered in a summer worthy 

 of the name. And everyone must remember how warm and 

 genial not only the summer, but the autumn, months were 

 (especially October and November), and that it was not till 

 late in December that really winter conditions set in with their 

 trying experience of frost and snow. 



The rainfall of the year was somewhat under average. 

 The mean amount is about 37 inches. In 1908 it was a little 

 short of this, viz., 36.88 in. The wettest month was March, 

 with a record of 4.58 in., and 21 days on which it fell; but 

 January had also an excess of 1 inch above the mean, and May 

 had an increase above the average, with 23 days on which it fell. 

 The total number of days on which rain or snow fell during t^he 

 year was 223, which is about average. The driest month was 

 April, with 1.75 in., and October had little more with 1.88 in., 

 as compared with a mean of 3.45 in. The heaviest single day 

 rainfall was 0.97 in. in March, and the nearest approach to this 

 was 0.94 in. in May, and the same amount again in August. 

 There was no day in which the amount exceeded an inch ; but 

 the days specified in May and August were very little short of 

 it. There were dry periods in February from the 3rd to the 

 13th, when only 0.33 in. fell ; in April, from the 9th to the 24th, 

 with only 0.03 in. ; and in June, from the 9th to the 30th, with a 

 record of only 0.11 in. 



Hygrometer — The annual mean of the 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. 

 dry bulb thermometer was 48.6 degs., which is very nearly the 

 same as the mean temperature of the year as it should be, and 

 the annual mean of the wet bull) readings was 45.5 degs. The 

 mean temperature of the dew-point, as calculated from these 



