42 



climate 



essentially cy clonic. At certain times of the year, particularly in spring 

 and early summer, bitterly cold weather may be experienced: the centres 

 of high-pressure systems are situated to the north-west and north, and 

 cold north and north-east winds blow over East Anglia as, for example, 

 during the destructive frost of May 1935. These winds may bring rain to 

 our eastern shores when the west is dry. Occasionally, too, cold winds 



Hours 

 9 



8 



7 



6 



5 



4 



3 



2 

 1 







Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr 



Fig. 15. 



Average number of hours of bright sunshine per day at Valencia, 

 Cambridge and Berlin. 



blow from the south-east. Since, in general, these cold winds prevail 

 during the spring, and the westerlies during the autumn, spring is colder 

 than the autumn. At different times of the year Cambridge may experi- 

 ence anticyclonic conditions, but whether the weather is warm or cold 

 depends on the origin of the anticyclone and on its position. If it is an 

 extension of the high-pressure belt of latitude 30-35° N., then the air is 

 warm, and long spells of dry warm weather may be enjoyed; if it is in 



