68 BAILIWICK RAINFALL. 



where, as already stated, no droughts of either kind were 

 noted. Sark, again, had one " rain spell " only against two at 

 Guernsey, and its longest interval of absolutely dry weather 

 (12 days) occurred in February. 



At Alderney (Le Huret), Mr. W. J. Picot's record 

 shows a surplus of 1*05 in., the year's aggregate, 31'66in., 

 being that much in excess of the normal of the seven years 

 1906-09 and 1911-13. In droughts Alderney fared similarly 

 to Sark, the register showing no " absolute " but one 

 " partial " drought. Alderney by the way had a greater 

 number of consecutive dry days than either Guernsey (Les 

 Blanches) or Sark, for beginning on July 16th no rainfall 

 was measured at Le Huret for fourteen days. Alderney did 

 not escape a " rain spell " any more than the other islands, and 

 it experienced what proved to be the most interesting, if 

 disastrous, rainfall of the year over the Bailiwick in the form 

 of a "cloud burst" on September 17th. Particulars of the 

 visitation will be found in another part of this paper. 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



The year 1913 began with an excessively wet and 

 unsettled month. In the three islands January was the 

 wettest month of the twelve. At Guernsey (Les Blanches) it 

 proved to be the rainiest January of the 20 years, 1894-1913, 

 and at Sark the total is the biggest for January of the eight 

 years during which observations have been taken there. The 

 "rain spell" at Alderney, referred to in the introductory re- 

 marks, occurred in this month when for 16 days (from the 10th 

 to 25th) rain fell daily. Guernsey's first "rain spell" ran 

 concurrently with that at Alderney, but whereas a total of 

 3*07 in. fell at Le Huret in the interval, Les Blanches had 

 3*61 in. The month had absolutely no cold weather at all. 



The unsettled weather ended with the first week of 

 February, from when to the end of the month very little 

 rain fell. In the third and part of the fourth week a cold 

 snap of moderate intensity prevailed, fresh to strong east 

 winds blew for some days and a little snow fell in all the 

 islands, but only at Guernsey (Les Blanches) in sufficient 

 quantity (0*04 in. on the 17th) 'to be measurable.' The lowest 

 air temperature at Les Blanches was 32*3 deg. on the 18th. 



March was unsettled and very mild from beginning to 

 end, with a preponderance of W. to S.W. winds which blew 

 with gale force several times in the latter half of the month. 

 A sharp hoar frost occurred on the 18th and gave a minimum 

 air temperature at Les Blanches of 33*2 deg. 



