46 



The breakinc; up of the frost was sncccedcri by a week of very warm weather, 

 the temperature rising to as much above the average as it had been below it, that 

 of the week ending March 27 being 9° in excess. The next week was not quite so 

 warm. April was rather cold, except from the 23rd to the 28th, on which last 

 day a marvellous change to cold occurred, with a sudden shift of wind to N.E. 

 The first week in May was delightfully warm and fine, but with that exception, 

 and an occasional isolated warm day, the temperature has been below the average 

 up to the present time, the greatest deficiency of late occurring between the 13th 

 and 18th of June. 



The winter was not, however, remarkable for severity of frost, the only very 

 low reading being 8.6° on the night following the great snowstorm of January 5th 

 and 6th. The Wye did not bear for skating even on the sides, but the number of 

 days on which the sport was enjoyed on the meadows was very considerable. 

 Probably a depth of snow in the aggregate of three feet fell last winter, or more 

 than we have had since 1865, when about the same quantity fell. 



As regards the rainfall. August, September and October, 1885, had about 

 an average. November was wet, the Wye being in flood on December 1st from 

 the heavy rains of the previous week and the melting of mountain snow. From 

 December 6 to January 2 less than half an inch fell, which is extraordinarily little 

 for that time of year. January (from the heavy snow falls) yielded over five 

 inches. February and to the middle of March was very dry. From March 16 to 

 June 2 no less than 12i inches fell, making a total of 18.98, or nearly 19 inches 

 since January 3, a period of exactly five months— the average fall being 11 inches, 

 the most recorded previously being 16.20 in 1869, and the minimum 7.23 in 

 1864. 



3. The Great Rainfall of May 12 and 13, 1886. 



We now come to the great rain-storm of May, 1886. During the week 

 ending May 8th, there was a gradual increase of temperature over Western 

 Europe and over England, the rise being as much as 18°. On May 7th, tempera- 

 tures of from 73° to 76° were recorded, but during the same time the weather 

 continued very cold over Eastern and Central Europe. 



The conditions immediately preceding the great rainfall were the formation 

 of two areas of high pressure, known as anticyclones, one to the north of our 

 islands, and the other over Spain. On the morning of Tuesday, the 11th, a 

 depression had advanced from Spain over the north-west of France, which by 

 Wednesday the 12th had grown much deeper, bringing with it considerable 

 decrease in temperature over England, with easterly winds ; rain had set in over 

 the Midland Counties, and by 9 a.m. '28 had been registered at Ross, the centre 

 of the depression being at this time situated between Cornwall and Ireland, with 

 heavy rain at Holyhead, Liverpool and Pembroke. On the next morning- 

 Thursday, the 13th— there was a long band of low pressure extending from the 

 Dutch coast across the South of England and the English Channel with three 

 distinct minima, but as this advanced to the eastward and became filled up, the 

 rain ceased, and the barometer rose. 



