1884.] 



of the Bay of Bengal in 1883. 



57 



CHAPTER II. 



History of the Storm of June 26th to July 4th. 



The south-west monsoon set in slightly earlier than usual on the 

 Bengal coast in 1883, but with no great strength. Moderate rain fell over 

 the whole of the Province of Bengal during the first fortnight. On the 12th 

 there began to form, in the north-west angle of the Bay, between False- 

 point and Saugor Island, and over the adjacent portion of south-west 

 Bengal, a small barometric depression ; and on the morning of the 13th, 

 the winds in South-west Bengal and North Orissa indicated cyclonic 

 convergence to it. The depression intensified on the 14th, and its centre 

 was then to the north of and in the neighbourhood of Balasore. It 

 advanced northwards through Chutia Nagpore and South Behar across 

 the Ganges into the central districts of North Behar, and gave excessive 

 rain over a narrow area stretching from Gya through Behar and Patna 

 to Mozufferpore and Durbhunga. Amongst the remarkable rainfalls 

 were the following : — 



15th 



16th 



17th 



18th 



19th 



Gya 



Behar 



Patna 



Mozufferpore 



Hajipur 



Durbhunga ., 



1-01 

 5-17 

 1-23 



0-08 

 0-86 

 0-53 



9-04 

 6-05 

 6-35 

 2-85 

 4-51 

 102 



0-21 



10-95 

 513 



12-49 

 9-39 

 5-02 



0-01 



0-58 

 nil. 

 0-42 

 nil. 



8-52 



nil. 

 0-09 

 0-05 

 nil. 

 0-14 

 0-24 



The disturbance broke up in North Behar and finally disappeared 

 on the 20th. During the next five days there was a partial break in 

 the rains. The air was drier, sky less clouded, and rain showers local 

 rather than general in character. The winds more especially diminished 

 in strength, but continued to indicate the same general atmospheric 

 motion over the Gangetic delta and valley as before. Southerly winds 

 blew across the Bengal coast. In Northern Bengal and Behar the 

 current was deflected up the Gangetic valley and hence gave winds 

 blowing from directions varying generally between N. E. and S. E. 

 In Chutia Nagpore and in Western Orissa the eifects of the Bombay 

 branch of the monsoon current were beginning to be shown by the 

 prevalence of moist S. S. W. winds at Hazarabagh and of W. N. W. 



