Rainfall, Sunshitif. Cloud and Jlisf 23 



means are 19'1 inclies (485 mm.) at Spurn Head on the 



Torksliire coast, 20'6 inclies (523 mm.) at Shoeburyness on 



the Essex coast, 22'4 inches (569 mm.) at Ely, etc. These 



areas of lowest rainfall all lie on flat eastern coastlands 



and the immediately adjoining flat country (Fig. 3). 



The seasonal distribution of rainfall in the British 



Isles shows no very marked features, the rain 



^^^^^ in all stations being fairly well distributed 



distribution , i Ttr rm 



of rainfall. between the difterent seasons. 1 he autumn 



months (September, October and Xovember) 

 are the rainiest months over most of the country. In the 

 mountainous regions of the west however the heaviest 

 rainfall occurs in the winter months (December, January 

 and February). The driest months are February and 

 March in many parts of the east, April and May over 

 most of the country and June in the east of Ireland, 

 south-west England and some parts of eastern Scotland. 

 Throughout the year the climate of the country is 

 characterised by the very frequent passage of a series 

 of barometrical depressions of mild cyclonic type, mostly 

 coming from the west, and the anticyclonic periods of 

 dry weather are comparatively few and quite uncertain 

 in occurrence. 



Cloud and mist are very prevalent. An examination 



of a sunshine or cloudiness map of Europe 

 Sun^iine, shows at once the deficiency of mean annual 



Tnjg t sunshine in the British Isles as compared 



with western Europe generally. Only the 

 south, and parts of the east and south-west, coasts receive 

 more than 1500 hours of bright sunshine per annum, while 

 nearly the whole of France and much of central Europe 

 receives more than 1750 hours per annum. Xearly the 

 whole of Scotland and parts of England a.nd Ireland get 

 less than 1250 hours in the year, an amount exceeded 

 everyvshere else in Europe except iu Scandinavia. In 

 May nearly the whole of the British Isles receives less 



