158 0. Little ~!r^e Himalayan summer storm of Sept. 24thy 1903. [No. 4, 



During all these years nothing has been done towards investiga- 

 ting that other condition on which, according to Mr. Blanford, the rain- 

 fall in Northern India appeared to depend, connected with the upper 

 strata of the atmosphere. 



It has appeared to me that since 1897 the evidence has been be- 

 coming conclusive, not to say overwhelming, that without more infor- 

 mation, such as Mr. Blanford required regarding the upper strata of the 

 atmosphere, it is impossible to say even a few hours ahead what the 

 character of the weather will be in Northern India. With the object 

 of showing how important the changes are that appear to originate in 

 the north, I have been collecting and publishing in the Journal of the 

 Society all information available regarding what I have called Sum- 

 mer Himalayan storms and their influence on weather in Northern 

 India. 



These storms were unusually well-marked in 1902, the year which 

 Sir J. Eliot states was sufficient in itself to show that the character of 

 the monsoon in Northern India was determined by conditions in the 

 Southern Indian Seas. In the two cases which I have discussed in 

 some detail in the paper on two remarkable rainbursts in Bengal, — one 

 on June 30th, 1902, the other on August J2th, — I showed that there was 

 no evidence of any kind that the general change then in operation 

 came from the south, whereas there was very strong evidence of a dis- 

 turbance crossing the Himalayan range from the north. 



Similar well-marked occurrences are on record for 1903, and the 

 unusual weather in the United Provinces in the early part of October, 

 can, I believe, be traced to the disturbance which entered Northern 

 India from Central Asia in the closing days of September, As that 

 weather called forth the criticism of the Pioneer, which I have quoted 

 above, it may now be seen more clearly why I have quoted their 

 remarks. In the first place the press extracts show that weather was 

 settled over the southern seas, because it was anticipated on all hands 

 that the monsoon was on the wane. In the second place the remarks 

 of the Pioneer afford strong corroborative evidence that on that parti- 

 cular occasion something very unusual and unexpected had happened in 

 Northern India. Also I may point out, as further justification for in- 

 troducing these extracts, that similar occurrences in 1902 were passed 

 over by Sir J. Eliot without comment, showing that an examination of 

 registers only is not sufficient to account for passing events or, to quote 

 Mr. Blanford again, there is certain information which we cannot expect 

 from the men who furnish our registers. 



Even Mr. Murray supports my contention that weather in 1902 

 was not entirely controlled from the south. In the Weather Review for 



