ON METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS ON BEN NEVIS. 



141 



days, or days of less than 001 inch of rain, at the observatory, the mean 

 pressures at the Ben Nevis Observatory being reduced to 32° only, while 

 those at Fort William are reduced to 32° and sea-level : — 



At Fort William the mean temperature of the year was 47°'7, being 0°'5 

 above the mean. The exceptional departures from the monthlymeans were : 

 January 2°-8, May 3°-2, September 3°-l, and October 2°-0 above, and 

 July 2°'3, August 3°*1, and December 2°"4 under, the means. The mean 

 annual temperature at the top of the Ben was 31°'3, or 0°'4 above the 

 mean, and as contrasted with Fort William the departures from the means 

 were in July 2°'8 and in August 1°'0 under and in September 4°'0 above 

 it. In anticyclonic weather, such as largely prevailed in September, the 

 excess of temperature at the top of the Ben is always relatively higher 

 than at sea-level adjoining. 



The minimum temperature for the year was 9°'0 on December 19, being 

 about the point to which the temperature has fallen each year since the 

 observatory was opened. The maximum was 58°'9 on September 7. This 

 is about the lowest annual maximum temperature hitherto observed, and 

 it is otherwise remarkable as having occurred so late in the season. 

 Indeed, low temperatures ruled during the summer in an unusual degree, 

 the highest in June being 45°-6, July 51°-7, and August 53°7. Thus 

 the extreme range of temperature for the year was 49°'9 ; in the previous 

 year it was 55°'4. 



The registration of the sunshine-recorder showed only 591 hours out 

 of a possible 4,470 hours. Excepting 1886, when the number was 570, 



