318 METEOEOLOaY. 



GOVERNMENT OBSERYATORY, SYDNEY. 



Latitude 33° 51' 41" ; Longitude 10^ i^ i6' ; Magnetic Variation 9° 32' 45" East. 



rEBEUAET, 1876.— Geneeal Absteact. 



Barometer ■ • . Highest Reading ... ... 30'052 inches on the 28th, at 9 p.m. 



At 32° Faht. Lowest Reading 29-209 „ on the 10th, at 12 noon. 



Mean Height 29-782 



(Being 0'012 inch less than that in the same month on an average of the preceding 17 years.) 



Wind ••• Greatest Pressure... ... 12*5 lbs. on the 26th. 



Mean Pressure 1*0 lb. 



Number of Days Calm ... 



PrevaiHng Direction ... S. 

 (Prevailing direction during the same month for the preceding 17 years S.) 



Temperature Highest in the Shade ... 96*9 On the 25th. 



Lowest in the Shade ... 57-5 On the 24th. 



Greatest Range 34-0 On the 25th. 



Highest in the Sun ...132-0 On the 25th. 



^Ikss Top^""'^ ^°^^ith j jgg.g ^^ ^^^ 26th. 



Lowest on the Grass ... 45-7 On the 24th. 

 Mean Diurnal Range . . . 12-9 

 Mean in the Shade ... 7l"0 



(Being 0-4 greater than that of the same month on an average of the preceding 17 years.) 



Humidity ... Greatest Amount... ... 99-0 On the 10th; 



Least 45-0 On the 25th. 



Mean 71-1 



(Being 4 less than that of the same month on an average of the preceding 17 years.) 



Rain.-. ••• Number of Days ... ... 14 rain and 1 dew. 



Greatest Fall 0-523 inch. On the 28th. 



Tot- 1 F 11 f 0-902 inch. 65 ft. above ground. 



'■' \ 1*360 inch. 15 in. above ground. 

 (Being 5"468 inches less than that of the same month on an average of the preceding 17 years.) 



E-^aporation Total Amount 7*696 inches. 



Ozone ... Mean Amount ... ... 7*1 



(Being 2-5 greater than that in the same month on an average of the preceding 16 years.) 

 Electricity. • • Number of Days Lightning 7 



Cloudy Sky... Mean Amount 66 



Number of Clear Days ... 1 

 Meteors ... Number Observed ... 2 



jRemarlcs. 



This month has been exceedingly dry and hot; from nearly all parts of the Colony come 

 accounts of severe drought, and heavy losses in consequence ; in one case a whole flock of 10,000 

 sheep died while going to water, and the number of dead sheep and cattle in the back country is 

 immense. In Sydney the rainfall for the month is 5h mches less than the average, and it is less than 

 that for any February since 1854. The temperature' has been above and the humidity 4'0 below the 

 average, so that evaporation has been very great, and in many places water, even for household 

 purposes, has been obtained with difficulty. In the suburbs not supplied bywater pipes the price of 

 water has been from 5s. to 10s. per cask. On the 16th a very severe c5^clone occurred at Bowen, in 

 Queensland ; it destroyed everything in its direct track, and' carried some wooden houses bodily a 

 considerable distance ; the storm was accompanied by thunder and balls of fire, one of which made 

 a round hole into one of the houses. On the 23rd a water spout was seen at sea off Cape St. George. 

 On the 26th and 27th tides in Sydney harbour were unsteady, and at 2 30 p.m. of the 27th the water 

 in harboTir suddenly rose 5 inches in twelve minutes. From 5 p.m. on 26th to morning of 27th the 

 barometer was very unsteady at Sydney, and from 2 to 2*35 p.m. of 27th it rose rapidly, and at the 

 end of that time fell 0050 in 5 minutes, the fall being almost coincident with the rise in the water. 

 At New Zealand a heavy earthquake shock occurred at 3 a.m., and another at 9 a.m., on the 26th ; 

 smaller shocks were felt for some days. 



