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XVI. — Examination of the Storms of Wind which occurred in Europe during 

 October, November, and December 1863. By Alexander Buchan, M.A., Secre- 

 tary to the Scottish Meteorological Society. (Plates XIII. to XXI.) 



(Read 3d April 1865.) 



A brief account of the weather of this period as regards temperature was 

 read before the Royal Society last year. It was drawn up at the request of Pro- 

 fessor Balfour, to accompany his paper " On the Remarkable State of Vegetation 

 in the Edinburgh Botanic Garden in December 1863." 



From the 26th of October to the end of December the weather was in every 

 way remarkable. Though frost occurred in the end of October and beginning of 

 November it was not severe, and the temperature continued on the whole season- 

 able till the 12th of November. From this date till the end of the month it 

 ranged unprecedently high, being 9° above the average temperature of the season. 

 It then fell for the next ten days, but on no occasion below the average ; and 

 again rose considerably above the average during the week ending with the 18th 

 of December. Under this genial weather vegetation in the open air advanced 

 rapidly to a state of forwardness not usually seen till the month of March. In 

 December 245 plants were in flower in the Gardens in the open air, and of these 

 35 were spring flowers. The frost which had occurred was insufficient to 

 damage, to any material extent, 210 autumn-flowering plants; and the high 

 temperature of November, which was as high as what ordinarily occurs in the 

 beginning of May, brought the spring flowers prematurely into bloom, so that 

 there was to be seen the rare spectacle of sweet peas and hepaticas flowering 

 together. 



Thus, then, the atmosphere during this time was in a most abnormal con- 

 dition in respect of temperature, which, of all the elements concerned, plays the 

 most conspicuous "part in destroying its equilibrium. It is not surprising, there- 

 fore, that the weather was equally remarkable, or even more so, for storms. 

 From the 27th October to the 18th December, eleven well-marked storms passed 

 over Europe in succession. 



Since the space embraced by storms frequently includes the greater part of 

 Europe, it is only recently, owing to the extension and growing popularity of 

 meteorology, and the countenance now happily given to it by most European 

 governments, that sufficient data could be obtained for a satisfactory treatment 

 of the subject. For the observations of the principal observatories of Europe are 



VOL. XXIV. PART I. 3 F 



