1854.] 



TORONTO METEOROLOGICAL REGISTER FOR THE YEAR 1853. 



185 



all caution, human and divine, it is occasionally allowed to 

 strike the earth with violence, will make a proper subject for 

 another communication. 



General Meteorological Register of tile Provincial Magncticnl 

 Observatory^ Toronto, for the Year 185$» 



Read before the Canadian Institute by Prof. Cherriman, Feb. 11th, 1854. 



The mean temperature for the year 1853 has been above the 

 average of the previous 12 years by 0°.55, the months of Janu- 

 ary, May, July, October, and December having been below, and 

 the remaining months above, the corresponding average tempera- 

 tures. The hottest month was August, and the coldest January, 

 which is an exception to the normal curve where these months 

 are July and February. 



. The month of August is the hottest in the whole series of 

 vears, except July, 1850. The climatic difference, or the differ- 

 ence between the hottest and coldest months, is 45°.6, being 

 2°.9 greater than the average. The range of temperature during 

 the year has been 104°.6, occurring from — 9°. 7 on the morning 

 of Jan. 16th to 94°.9 on the afternoon of Aug. llth, this latter 

 being the highest temperature ever recorded at the Observatory. 



The hottest day was Aug. 12th (79°.8),- and the coldest Dec. 

 29th (2°.4), the difference between these being 1TA. The 

 greatest daily range occurred on Jan. 1 5th, amounting to 40°.9, 

 while the mean daily range on the average of the whole year is 

 16°.9. 



The present year, therefore, conforms to the law established 

 by Colonel Sabine from the preceding 12 years' observations, 

 that " the climate of Toronto presents a remarkable combination 

 of great regularity in the annual temperature with great varia- 

 bility occurring in the course of the year." Arranging the 

 year into the ordinary seasons, we find the mean temperatures to 

 be as follows : ■ 



Winter, 26°.3; Spring, 41°. 1 ; Summer, 66°.6; Autumn, 47°.3; 



in each case being above the average. 



By an inspection of the thermic anomalies, it will be seen that 

 only two months of the year have been above the normal values 

 of this latitude, all the rest being more or less below. Taking 

 the respective seasons, we find the thermic anomalies to be: 



Winter, — 8.2; Spring, — 8.4; Summer, — 0.7; Autumn, — 5.5; 



and if we increase these temperatures by 1° on account of vertical 

 elevation, the summer will have been 0°.3 above, and the winter 

 7.2 below, the temperatures due to those seasons from our geo- 

 graphical position. 



The most remarkable deviations from the normal curve of 

 temperature have been as follows : 



From Feb. 1st to 5th inclusive, mean deviation -|"9°.8 



" Feb. 7th to 9th ; — 9°.7 



" Feb. 28th to March 2nd +9°.l 



" March 14th to 16th — 13°.3 



" June 13th to 16th -fl2°.7 



" Aug. lOthto 13th +12°.3 



2 



" Sept. 2nd to 6th..... +9.5 



" Nov. 19th to 23rd +12.5 



" Nov. 24th to 25th — 11. G 



" Dec. 28th to 31st —14.6 



The greatest deviation below the normal was on 29th Dec, 

 22°.7, and above, on 14th June, 14°.4. 



The mean humidity of the year is .79, Jul)' having been the 

 dryest, and January and February the most moist months. The 

 extent of clouded sky on the average of the whole year has been 

 .57, so that nearly three-fifths of the sky has been overcast on 

 the mean of the whole. The clouds were least prevalent in July, 

 and most in December, and no less than seven months have been 

 on the average more than half overcast. 



The mean direction of the wind has been N. 38° W., with a 

 mean velocity of 5.08 miles per hour. For the first six months 

 the mean direction was steadily from the N.W. quarter, changing 

 very suddenly in July to the E. and S., and returning in Decem- 

 ber to the N.W. The velocity was greatest in February, dimi- 

 nishing regularly till June, when it was least, and then increasing 

 again. 



The amount of rain fallen has been 23.55 inches on the sur- 

 face, which is 8.076 inches below the average; and if to this we 

 add 5.32 inches for the amount of rain equivalent to the 53.2 

 inches of snow that fell during the year, we have a total of 28.87 

 inches. Oil the whole, this has been the dryest year, with the 

 single exception of 1848, during the last 13 years. The greatest 

 amount fell in September, and the least in December, the sum- 

 mer months being remarkably dry. 



The fall of rain was distributed over 109 days, and the snow 

 over 52, leaving 204 perfectly fair days, on which neither rain 

 nor snow fell. Of these, January enjoyed the most (24), and 

 February and November the least (9). 



Frost occurred in every month except June, July, and August, 

 the latest in spring being on the 20th May, and the earliest in 

 autumn on the 12th September. The last snow of spring was 

 on the 10th May, and the first of autumn on the 25th October, 

 being about the usual periods. Toronto Bay was clear of ice 

 on March 31st, and frozen over on December 19th, being crossed 

 on foot on the 21st. 



The Indian summer was well defined from 12th to 20th 

 October. 



The number of thunder-storms during the year has been 34, 

 of which the most occurred in June and September; none at all 

 in November, January, and February. Of these, there were only 

 six remarkable for violence, viz., on 15th, 17th, and 18th of May, 

 all passing from W. to E. ; on 15th July, from W. to E., accom- 

 panied with heavy hail; on 17th August, from W. to E., passing 

 directly over the Observatory; and the most violent of all on 

 14th September, during 10 minutes of which the wind attained 

 a velocity of 46.8 miles per hour, the greatest ever recorded 

 here. 



During the year there have been 233 nights the state of which 

 would have permitted Aurora to be seen if it existed. On 57 of 

 these Aurora was actually observed. The most brilliant displays 

 occurred from May 28th to June 1st; from July 8th to 12th; 

 on August 25th; and from September 1st to 3rd. This latter 

 was visible not only over most of this continent, but also in Eu- 

 rope, presenting the same characteristics. All these were accom- 

 panied by great magnetic disturbance. 



