METEOROLOGICAL RECORDS 171 



MARCH 



Twice clear morning skies, once starry night. 

 Scorching sun and stifling heat on one occasion. 



" Tempest," generally in late afternoon and accompanied hy hail, 19 times. 

 Observed 3 or 4 times a strong " land breeze" (terral) of short duration (15-20 

 mins.) and at midnight. 



MOEOCOCHA 



Morococha, in the Department of Ancachs, Peru, lies in 76° 11' 

 west longitude and 11° 45' south, latitude and immediately east of 

 the crest line of the Maritime Cordillera. It is 14,300 feet above 

 sea level, and is surrounded by mountains that extend from 1,000 

 to 3,000 feet higher. The weather records are of special interest 

 in comparison with those of Santa Lucia. Topographically the 

 situations of the two stations are closely similar hence we may 

 look for climatic differences dependent on the latitudinal differ- 

 ence. This is shown in the heavier rainfall of Morococha, 4° 

 nearer the equatorial climatic zone. (For location see Fig. 66.) 



The meteorological data for 1908-09 were obtained from rec- 

 ords kept by the Morococha Mining Company for use in a pro- 

 jected hydro-electric installation. Other data covering the years 

 1906-11 have appeared in the bulletins of the Sociedad Geogrd- 

 fica de Lima. These are not complete but they have supplied rain- 

 fall data for the years 1910-11 ; 10 those for 1906 and 1907 have 

 been obtained from the Boletin de Minas. 11 



Temperature 

 The most striking facts expressed by the various temperature 

 curves are the shortness of the true winter season — its restriction 

 to June and July — and its abrupt beginning and end. This is well 

 known to anyone who has lived from April to October or Novem- 

 ber at high elevations in the Central Andes. Winter comes on 

 suddenly and with surprising regularity from year to year dur- 

 ing the last few days of May and early June. In the last week of 

 July or the first week of August the temperatures make an equally 

 sudden rise. During 1908 and 1909 the mean temperature reached 

 the freezing point but once each year — July 24 and July 12 re- 



10 Boletin de la Sociedad Geogrfifica de Lima, Vol. 27, 1911; Vol. 28, 1912. 



11 Boletin del Cuerpo de Ingenieros de Minas del Perfi, No. 65, 1908. 



