8 



The Weather of May, 1901. 

 The month opened with generally cloudy weather and 

 copious showers on the Ist and 2d, with temperature slightly 

 below the normal. Then followed nearly a week of clear 

 weather with seasonable temperature, ranging near normal, 

 and without marked extremes of high or low temperature. 

 Cloudy weather again developed on the 9th, and rainy 

 weather was nearly continuous from that date until the 14th. 

 Though the total rainfall for this period was copious, no 

 large amounts fell on any one date. The temperature con- 

 tinued moderate. Though frosts occurred in interior parts 

 of the State on several dates during the first two weeks of 

 the month, no damage was reported, owing to the somewhat 

 backward season. Following the 13th, clear and pleasant 

 weather with moderate and seasonable temperature prevailed 

 until the 18th. During the period of rainy weather which 

 began on th^ 18th and continued through the 20th, heavy 

 rains occurred in nearly all parts of the State. The tem- 

 perature during this time was generally moderate, and with- 

 out marked departure from normal except in coast sections, 

 where easterly winds caused it to continue cool for the 

 season. During the 21st, 22d and 23d, scattered showers 

 occurred, but of only light amounts, and there was consider- 

 able sunshine, with the highest temperatures yet experienced 

 the present season. Over nearly all parts of the State the 

 temperature rose to near or slightly above 80° on the 2 2d 

 and 23d, but the warm wave was broken on the morning 

 of the 24th, the temperature falling between 20° and 30° 

 during the remainder of the day and night. The fall in 

 temperature caused general showers, but which were light, 

 except in the north-eastern portion of the State. The con- 

 tinuance of cold north and east winds after the 25th caused 

 cloudy weather with low temperature to continue well into 

 the last week of the month. Though the temperature for 

 the month has not varied greatly from normal, it has been 

 without the warm days usually experienced in May, making 

 the growth of vegetation slow and backward. The rainfall 

 has been in excess of the normal, so much so that at the end 

 of the month low lands continued to be too wet to be worked, 

 the frequent rains also delaying work on higher ground. 



