No. 4.] REPORT OF SECRETARY. xvii 



below 40° on the coast. The most marked feature of the 

 month was the wave of summer heat which prevailed through- 

 out the 15th and 16th. The 15th was, in every respect a 

 perfect summer day, and the heat was prolonged through the 

 l(3th, reaching almost 90° on the latter date. The highest 

 October temperature on record at the Boston Weather Bureau 

 office was 90° on the 1st, in 1881, and this record was very 

 nearly equalled by the temperature of the 16th of this Octo- 

 ber. The hot spell was brought to a close early Sunday 

 morning, the 17th, when the arrival of a cold north-west 

 wind forced the mercury rapidly downward. At 8 a.m. of 

 the 17th, the thermometer stood some 30° or 40° lower than 

 twelve hours previous, — a striking evidence of the versatility 

 which enables our New England climate to go at one jump 

 from midsummer temperature to autumnal chill. Low morn- 

 ing temperatures were the rule onward to the close of the 

 month, and after the 19th the day temperatures ranged below 

 60°. 



The coast sections were visited on the 21st by a tropical 

 hurricane. 



While the weather of November presented no especially 

 unusual features, it was on the whole quite unpleasant. The 

 large number of days with precipitation and the consequent 

 excessive cloudiness contributed in a great measure to the 

 generally disagreeable conditions. The days with a measure- 

 able amount of rain or snow averaged 14, and the precipita- 

 tion was in the main evenly distributed throughout the State, 

 and was above the average by about two and one-half inches. 

 The month opened with a heavy rainstorm, which gave ex- 

 cessive amounts in some localities, and not less than two 

 inches in any part of the State. 



The first snowfall of consequence occurred in the early 

 morning of the 12th, and a large part of the precipitation 

 thereafter was in this form. The average date of the first 

 snowfall of the season is November 15. The temperature 

 was greatly in contrast with that of the corresponding month 

 of 1896, which, it will be remembered was remarkably mild. 

 The month was not without several warm days, however, 

 notably in the first decade, also the 16th, 21st, 26th and 

 27th. The minimum temperatures were almost invariably 



