118 CLIMATIC CONDITIONS 



shows the showers of June and July to have been of very brief duration, with- 

 out exception. Thirty-six separate showers were recorded during 17 of the 

 total of 27 days. Of these, the heaviest and of longest duration lasted but 

 one hour. The average duration was not over ten minutes for each shower. 



The average monthly amount of rainfall, the maximum amounts re- 

 corded in any 24 consecutive hours, and the average frequency of days with 

 rain, are indicated in the following table: 



RAINFALL AT NASSAU. 

 (In inches and hundredths.) 



Average Average 



Monthly Maximum Number of Days 



Amounts. in 24 Hours. With Rain. 



January 1.20 0.40 10.4 



February 1.15 0.62 7.6 



March 1.09 0.70 6.8 



April 1.92 0.94 7.8 '. 



May 4.66 1.28 9.6 



June 5.65 1.91 13.4 



July 5.19 1.92 18.8 



August 9.09 2.72 19.6 



September 8.05 2.26 17.6 



October 7.80 2.56 19.0 



November 1.95 0.95 9.2 



December 1.68 0.66 12.0 



Year 49.43 2.72 151.8 



Annual maximum 91.50 inches in 1865. 



Annual minimum 25.54 inches in 1882. 



RAINFALL AT CAT CAY. 

 (For 1896, 1897, 1898, 1900. Record incomplete.) 



Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June. July. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Year. 

 1.41 2.21 2.15 2.75 3.94 4.09 6.37 5.40 7.52 5.86 1.82 1.36 43.86 



WIND DIRECTION. 



The geographical position of the Islands on the southwestern edge of 

 the persistent area of high barometric pressure which covers the North 

 Atlantic Ocean causes a prevailing easterly wind throughout the year. The 

 group is on the northern edge of the regular trade wind belt, in which there 

 is a steady flow of the atmosphere from the east, or the points between north- 

 east and southeast, with a preponderance of east winds. The relative fre- 

 quency of winds from the different points of the compass during the course 

 of the year is indicated in the following table of statistics covering a period 

 of five vears. 



