Keturns of XUinfoJi in 

 in 1917. 



By the Rev. H. H. TILNEY BASSETT, R.D. 



[EWED generally, the special feature of the year 

 was the continued dry ness of the winter months. 

 August and October were the only months 

 really wet ; and, more especially so August, 

 owing to its constant heavy rains and cold 

 conditions. August, 1912, was very similar 

 to it in character and surpassed it in the 

 amount of rainfall. 



The winter of 1917 was the coldest experienced since that 

 of 1895. Prolonged periods of frost occurred, from January 

 11 to February 15, from March 3 to March 10, and from 

 March 21 to (practically) April 14 ; and so late as on April 

 23 the temperature fell to 25.0, or 7 degrees of frost. 



The outstanding conditions round which special interest 

 centres are the frost and heavy snow falls of April which were 

 remarkable for their heaviness and persistency, and the 

 abnormal rainfall of June 28-29, though Dorset did not come 

 within the full range of the heaviest fall as did Somerset and 

 parts of Devon and Cornwall. The actual heaviest fall was 

 measured at Bruton (Somerset), where the extraordinary 

 record of 9.56 inches was measured in the 24 hours, which 

 surpasses any previously recorded daily rainfall in the British 

 Isles. 



