3.74 



Weather at Florence 



Art. XIII. Notes on the Weather at Floretice during the past 

 Winter. By W. S pence, Esq. 



An account of the weather at any place for a single season 

 can seldom be of much value ; but as some of your readers who 

 attend to meteorology may like to compare the weather in 

 England this last severe winter with that at Florence, I send 

 you a summary of the imperfect register which I have kept at 

 the latter place, without other instrument than a Fahrenheit's 

 thermometer, and that usually observed but once daily, adding 

 from my memoranda a few rough notes on different heads, not 

 susceptible of being condensed into a tabular form. 



Nov. 18. 



to 30. 

 1829. i 



Dec. 



January 



1830. 



Feb. 



March. 



Mean height of thermometer in the shade at 



8 A.M. 

 Highest point of thermometer at 8 A.M. 

 Lowest point of thermometer at 8 A. M. 



Days of bright sunshine 



partially sunny and fair 

 cloudy and fair 



rainy - . . - 



snowy - - - - 



Wind north 



north-east 



east 



south-east 



south 



south-west 



west 



north-west 



'.] 



42° 



37° 



3¥> 



(25.) 530,(3.) 49° (24.) 45° 



(22.) 30O 



5 

 2 

 1 

 5 



number of days 



(30.) 220 (12.) 240 



(1.) 



.) 50° 



I 2 



12 

 5 

 5 

 5 



1 



1 



6 



2 

 3 



(26.) 57° 

 (6.) 350* 



23 

 3 

 5 



Frost. 



During the winter there 



have been four distinct 



periods of continued frost, as under : 



1. From Nov. 18. to Nov.23. ice on ponds 2 to 3 in. thick. 



In all, 48 days of frost. Between these periods the weather 

 was open, but with slight frosts occasionally. The second 

 and longest period of tw enty-three days was interrupted by 

 one day of rain on the 8 th of January. Though the cold was 

 once 22^ (and probably lower in the night), no material injury 

 was sustained by the bitter orange trees, iVerium Oleander, 

 Agave americana. Yucca «loef(Mia, one or two species of the 

 hardier palms, &c., which are planted in the open ground with- 

 out protection. The variety of Agave americana with yellow 



* The following account of the height of the thermometer in the shade, 

 at different hours of one day, March 28., will serve to give an idea of the 

 average daily variations of temperature towards the end of the month. 

 Thermometer at 6^ A.M. 45° ; at 9, 57° ; at 4 P.M. 71°; at 7, 65°. In the 

 full sun, March 29. at 3 P.M. 102°. 



