i6 



NATURE 



[September i, 192 i 



The year 1887 was the driest one of the nine- 

 teenth century in the British Isles. The year 1893 

 was also very dry. A comparison of the mean 

 values for twenty-five stations in England and 

 Wales, during the months of drought, with the 

 normal for 1881-1915 shows that the present year 

 (February to July) has the least rainfall — 49 per 

 cent. — while 1887 (February to July) had 57 per 

 cent., and 1893 (March to August) 65 per cent. 

 If considered, however, from the point of view 

 of frequency of absolute or partial drought periods 

 at individual places, the present year was sur- 

 passed by both 1893 and 191 1. Although we have 

 had prolonged spells of hot weather, the maximum 

 shade temperatures of 191 1 have not been 



Fig. I. — Rainfall, Kebruary-July, 1921 

 1881-1915. 



Per cent, of average, 



equalled. Woodland and moorland fires have 

 been extensive and frequent, especially in Surrey. 



In France the winter and spring were unusually 

 mild and dry. Drought was severe in March and 

 June, and persisted with only temporary breaks 

 to the end of July. Paris rainfall, January i to 

 July 15, was 104 mm., the normal being 236 mm. 

 In Central and Southern France violent rain- 

 storms occurred in July. Forest fires have been 

 very numerous in Northern France and Belgium. 



The winter was abnormally dry in Switzerland, 

 with comparatively little snow. Early in January 

 the Rhine and Rhone had shrunk to half their 

 ordinary volume, and the general lack of water 

 caused great restriction of electrical services. 

 The winter is stated to be the driest for ninety 

 years. Similar conditions were maintained 

 throughout the spring, and June was so hot and 

 drv that rivers were 6 ft. below normal, and the 

 snow-line on the mountains receded more than 

 300 ft. On July 28 a shade temperature of more 

 than 100° F., the highest since 1870, was re- 

 corded at Geneva. 



NO. 2705, VOL. 108] 



In Norway, Denmark, and Germany forest and 

 moorland fires were frequent in July after a spell 

 of hot, dry weather. Central Europe generally 

 does not, however, appear to have had the same 

 degree of drought as North-western Europe. 

 There was no rainfall deficiency in Germany in 

 -\pril to June, and temperatures, on the whole, 

 were not unusually high, but drier conditions 

 established themselves in July. In April .Austrian 

 temperatures were below normal, and rainfall, on 

 the whole, above, in some cases two or three 

 times the normal. In May, however, rainfall was 

 deficient, and mean temperatures up to 7° F. 

 above normal were experienced. Rainfall was 

 also below normal at Budapest in April. 



In Russia the drought has been very severe and 

 prolonged, particularly in the south and south- 

 east districts. Crops have consequently failed 

 almost universally, so that a famine of unparal- 

 leled magnitude is threatened. 



There is no information yet available from the 

 bulk of the Asiatic continent. Winter snowfall 

 in Baluchistan and the hills of the Punjab and 

 North-west Frontier regions was the smallest for 

 many years, but that in North-east Persia was 

 normal. The monsoon broke rather late in India 

 (June 22), but in spite of a lack of rainfall in 

 the Bombay Presidency early in July, afterwards 

 relieved by a week's rain, Indian rainfall has been 

 quite satisfactory in general. Heavy rainfall, 

 associated with a gale in the Mediterranean, 

 caused a sudden rise of the Tigris in April ; later 

 on a period of intense heat set in in Irak and the 

 Persian Gulf region. This is the hottest weather 

 experienced since the British landing in 1914, and 

 a shade temperature of 1289° F. is stated to have 

 been reached on July 16. If confirmed, this will 

 constitute one of the highest shade temperatures 

 ever recorded. Normal weather prevailed in 

 Japan in April, but heavy rain and floods occurred 

 in certain regions in June. Rainfall at Hong-Kong 

 between January i and April 30 was 217 mm., 

 the normal being 295 mm. ; the temperature was 

 not exceptional in April. 



In Algeria, April and May were cloudy, with 

 rainfall above the normal, and rather low tem- 

 perature. The Nile was below its usual level up 

 to June, and the Blue Nile was also low in May, 

 owing to the lateness of the rainfall in the Abyss- 

 inian mountains. In June a rainfall unprecedented 

 for the season occurred in Lower Egypt, a fall of 

 22 mm. being recorded at Ezbekia. During 

 thirty-five years measurable rain has fallen only 

 on one occasion in June, and it barely exceeded 

 I mm. Apart from this, Egyptian temperature 

 and rainfall were not remarkable during April to 

 June, being somewhat above normal in some 

 parts, and below it in others. At Dar-es-Salaam 

 the total rainfall of April and May was 25 per 

 cent, above normal. 



There has been much hot weather in Canada, 

 and rainfall, while by no means absent, has been 

 deficient in many parts during the last three 

 months. It is stated that there has been no such 



