142 KEPOET — 1891. 



this is the lowest since the observations began. In January only 4 hours 

 were registered, being the lowest monthly amount yet observed, but in 

 December the number of hours was 22, being considerably in excess of 

 the hours registered at stations generally over the United Kingdom 

 during this exceptional month. 



The rainfall was the heaviest yet recorded in any year, being 198'34 

 inches, and if the amount were calculated for the meteorological year 

 beginning with December, 1889, the annual amount would be 213-63 

 inches. The rainfall for October, 37'30 inches, is the highest yet recorded 

 in any month ; and 29'42 inches were recorded in January and 27'31 

 inches in March. On October 3 the rainfall was 7'29 inches, but for the 

 24 hours from 9 p.m. of the 2nd to 9 p.m. of the ord the extraordinary 

 quantity of 8'07 inches was collected. In four months the rainfall was 

 the highest yet recorded for these months. 



The number of days on which the rainfall was nil, or less than the 

 hundredth of an inch, was 83, being the fewest number of fair days of 

 any year since the observatory was opened. There were 17 fair days in 

 February, 15 in April and December, but none in January. There were 

 Q& days on which one inch or upwards fell. In October there were 15 

 such days and 1 1 in January. 



The rainfall of 1890 in the eastern part of Scotland to the south of 

 the Grampians was nearly everywhere iinder the average, the deficiency 

 being a sixth in the Border Counties. On the other hand, in north-western 

 districts it was about a fifth above the average. The annual average at 

 the observatory since 1885 is 134"50 inches, and hence the rainfall of 1890 

 was 63'84 inches, or 48 per cent., above the average — an excess nowhere 

 approached at any observing station in Scotland. 



Atmospheric pressure at Fort William was 29-860 inches, or 0-032 

 inch above the mean pressure. The monthly extremes were the minimum 

 in January and the maximum in February, these being respectively 0-229 

 inch below and 0-295 inch above the means of these months. 



The following shows the departures from the means of the pressure 

 and rainfall of the four months of heaviest rainfall at the Ben Nevis 

 Observatory : — 



Differences from fJie ]\Jeavs. 



January 



March . 



September 



October 



It will be observed that during the two last months, when the rainfall 

 was greatly above the average, pressure also was above the average. On 

 the top of the Ben it repeatedly occurs tliat high pressures are accom- 

 panied with very heavy and long-continued ivains. 



Considerable progress has been made during the year with the dis- 

 cussion of the Ben Nevis obsei'vations. 



An exhaustive examination of the 'Winds of Ben Nevis,' bv Messrs. 

 Omond and Rankin, has been recently completed and the results com- 

 municated in a paper read before the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The 

 authors show that while the sea-level winds in this part of Scotland are, 

 with respect to the distribution of pressure, in accordance with Buys 

 Ballot's Law of the Winds, the Ben Nevis winds do not at all fit in with 



