A year's weather. 203 



The rainfall at Truro for the year 1891 was less than 1890 ! 

 Its registration during the month was most exciting, as one felt 

 that every shower might carry over the balance, and stamp a year 

 which had nad a February of the very driest kind as wetter than 

 the wet year of 1890. How closely the registration ran may 

 be seen in the total rainfall for 1890, being 45-10 ; of 1891, 4505 

 — a remarkable closeness. Generally, too, 1891 was drier than 

 the previous year : the nearness of the total rainfall was caused 

 by the excessive rains of August and October, which were over 

 8-inches in excess of the same months of 1890. 



In 1890 the rain fell on 226 days, in 1891 on 208 days. 

 With the exception of February we have had a wet day on the 

 8th of erery month, and only four times wet on the 5th. The 

 heaviest day's rainfall during the year was on October 5th, 1'93- 

 inches ; 1^-inches of this fell in one hour. The rainfall for the 

 month was 5'22-inches, which fell on 25 days; of December, 

 1890, 5-07; 1886, 7-02; and 1876, 10-59-inches. We have no 

 record heavier than the latter for Truro. Our average December 

 rainfall is 4-65-inches on 20 days. 



The warmest day was the 5th, 57 ; the coldest night was on 

 the 23rd, 11 degrees of frost; on Christmas- eve 10 degrees of 

 frost were registered. The two latter readings were taken from 

 an exposed thermometer. The mean of the monthly maxima, 

 greatest heat in shade, was 51'3 ; of the minima, the greatest 

 cold in shade, was 39 9 -degrees. We had frost on 8 nights. 

 Whilst so many places were in a most lamentable state from the 

 blackest of fog, which hung for days, during which persons 

 walked blindly into rivers and canals and were drowned, and the 

 congested traj0B.c of the railways and streets caused countless 

 accidents, we had a singular freedom, as our only experiences 

 were two slight touches on the 22nd and 25th, which caused but 

 little inconvenience to any one. 



We had sunshine on 24 days, gleam — i.e., the sun's disc being 

 visible behind a film of cloud — on 3 other days, sunless days 4. 



From the 6th to the 14th the barometer fell and rose nearly 

 one inch, the greatest depression being on the 10th ; the weather 

 became wild, thunder, lightning, hail, and heavy rains were 

 experienced, then strong winds and a cloudless sky. We had 

 hoar frost on 3 days. 



