January' 25, 1894J 



NATURE 



295 



this, the "ridge" of high barometer which was following 

 the storm was of a very pronounced character, and caused 

 a rapid recovery of pressure in the rear of the dis- 

 turbance. As the result of these two regions of high 

 barometer, or anticyclones, between which the storm 

 system, or cyclone, was situated, the central area of the 

 storm was brought to bay, and abruptly struck out on a 

 path to the south-eastward, in which direction there was 

 the least resistance to its progress. This halting and 

 indecision and abrupt change of path on the part of the 

 storm area caused the high pressure system in the rear to 

 considerably gain on it, with the result that exceptionally 

 steep gradients were caused for northerly gales, which 

 continued to blow for a period of two or three days over 

 our islands. 



The diagram showing the barometer and wind for 

 8 a.m. November i8, indicates a decided change in the 

 course of the disturbance, and at that hour the lowest 



November i6, 10 a.m., to November 20, 9 p.m.—At\ Days. 



BAROMETER AND WIND. 



Friday, 17 th November. 



Saturday, 18 th November. 



8 a.m. 



8 a.m. 



li'^n:-r r~ BcnUllsc. 



Diagram to illustrate the storm during the period of its greatest violence on November 17 and 10. The barometer is expressed by isobars, the pressure 

 corresponding to each line being given in inches and tenths. The winds are shown by arrows which are drawn flying with the wind. © = a calm ; 

 ** = a light or moderate wind ; > = a fresh or stormy breeze ; > > = a gale. 



barometer was 28-99 inches at Spurn Head, the centre of 

 the disturbance being situated about 50 miles to the east 

 of Scarborough, and travelling south-eastwards down our 

 east coast. On the 19th the disturbance had reached 

 Cuxhaven, where the barometer was reading 29-10 inches, 

 and on the 20th it was passing away over central Europe, 

 but gales were still blowing in the south-east of England 

 and in parts of the North Sea. 



The following table shows the strength of the wind in 

 miles per hour as recorded by the velocity anemo- 

 meters under the supervision of the Meteorological 

 Council, who have kindly allowed access to the anemo- 

 graphs and tabulations : — 



NO. 1265, VOL. 49] 



The factor 3 is used with all the anemometers for ob- 

 taining the velocity of the wind. 



The hourly velocity at Orkney was 90 miles or above for 

 5 consecutive hours — from 9 p.m. 17th, to i a.m. iSth — and 

 both this and the maximum velocity of 96 miles in the 

 hour is in excess of any previous record in this country, 

 the highest velocity in the hour previously recorded 

 being 91 miles at Fleetwood in a gale which occurred on 

 May 20, 1887. At Holyhead the wind was 65 miles or 

 above, force 10 of Beaufort's notation, for 31 hours, and 

 was 85 miles an hour or above for 4 hours. 



The storm appears to have originated on November 7 

 to the east of the Florida coast, near the Bahamas, and 



