THE RAINFALL OF GUERNSEY. 



41 



The cause of the differences between the stations on so 

 small an area as our island is, to say the least, obscure. I 

 have been inclined to set it down to the fact that the town is 

 on the lee side of the island during prevailing winds, but 

 this seems to be a somewhat doubtful explanation, for though 

 the greatest difference of the year (October 31st, difference 

 0*58 in.) between the stations occurred with a S.W. wind 

 and seems to favour the hypothesis, yet large differences 

 have occurred in favour of the town with winds from all 

 directions. The cause is most probable the different eleva- 

 tions of the land, the hilly portions of the island causing a 

 lesser fall on the rise and a greater fall on the decline of the 

 land. 



I now give a table of the extremely heavy or light annual 

 totals since 1841, just that these may be on record. 



ANNUAL TOTALS OF, OK ABOVE, 40" SINCE 1843. 



1846 





. 42-5 



1876 







41*7 



1848 





. 48-0 



1877 







42*4 



1852 





. 49-1 



1878 







43-7 



1859 





. 43-4 



1879 







41-5 



1860 





. 48*0 



1880 







44-9 



1865 





. 43-3 

 . 44-4 

 . 56-9 



TALS OF, OE 



1882 

 1886 

 1894 



t BELOW, 30" 







47*8 



1866 





44-7 



1872 



TO 



40-3 



ANNUAL 



SINCE 1843. 



1844 





. 27-6 



1856 







30-3 



1847 





. 29-2 

 . 29-3 

 . 29-9 



1858 

 1870 



1887 







25-5 



1851 







25-0 



1854 





28-7 



1855 





. 30*4 











We have now 



a 58 year r 



3Cord. I have taken the mean 



of each decade 



SO 



as to obtai 



n evidence 



of 



a peri 



od if one 



exists. 















1843 to 1850 inclusive — 1st period 

 1851 to 1860 ,, 2ndperio 

 1861 to 1870 ,, 3rd ,, 

 1871 to 1880 ,, 4th ,, 

 1881 to 1890 ,, 5th ,, 



of eight years . 

 I of ten years 



5 ) 





. . 36 *2 inches. 

 ..35 2 „ 

 .. 34-8 „ 

 .. 4L6 „ 

 .. 37-1 „ 

 .. 35-6 ,, 



Though these figures show a great difference in the 

 decades, it does not point to a periodic return, for the minimum 

 and maximum figures are in the adjacent decades. 



I have also taken the mean of each half decade, but 

 though I give the figures I do not attach any importance to 



