10 



range, 38° at Pittsfield on the 20th and 21st; least daily- 

 range, 2° at Nantucket on the 22d. At Springfield the mean 

 temperature was 2.3° per day above the normal ; at Fitch- 

 burg it was 1.6° above ; at Boston, 2.7° above and at Nan- 

 tucket, 1° above. 



PrecijJitaiion. — Average, 2.07 inches; greatest amount, 

 3.82 inches at Framingham ; least, 0.29 inches at Nantucket. 

 At Springfield the total precipitation was 1.95 inches less 

 than the usual amount in July; at Fitchburg it was 2.20 

 inches less ; at Boston, 0.50 inch less ; and at Nantucket, 

 1.89 less. 



Prevailing Wind. — South-west. 



Thunder-storms. — 1st, 3d, 5th, 10th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 

 17th, 18th, 21st, 25th, 29th, 31st. 



Hail — 25th, Worcester; 29th, Fitchburg. 



The weather for the month was on the whole favorable for 

 harvesting hay and grain, Imt the heat on some of the last 

 days of the month was intense and there was a general lack 

 of precipitation in all eastern sections, giving one of the most 

 serious and long continued droughts on record. At Boston 

 the mean temperature up to the 24th was slightly below the 

 average for 24 years, although the 1st to 4th, the 13th and 

 20th were very warm ; but after the 24th the daily tempera- 

 ture averaged over 8° a day above the normal. At many of 

 the interior towns reliable thermometers registered over 

 100° on the 20th ; the voluntary observer at Chestnut Hill 

 recorded 105.5° on that date with a well exposed thermom- 

 eter. The mean of his maximum readings for the month 

 was 89.3°. This is in great contrast to the temperature at 

 Nantucket, where the maximum was only 85° and the mean 

 of the maximum readino;s was 74.7°. 



In the western part of the State the rainfall was generally 

 sufficient for veoetation although it was o;ettin<r a little too 

 dry at the end of the month ; but in eastern sections great 

 damage has been done by the drought. In the northeastern 

 counties this dry spell was broken on the 21st, three-fourths 

 of an inch falling at Boston and 2.80 inches between that 

 date and the end of the month. This was more than had 

 fallen at this station between May 25 and July 20 inclusive. 

 But in the southeast it is still dry and crops are being 



