70 BAILIWICK RAINFALL. 



The change to drier and more sunny weather at the middle 



of May proved very acceptable after such an unseasonably 



lengthy period of rain, as did also the burst of warmth at the 



end of the month. At Sark the weather at this time was 



referred to in the Guernsey Advertiser of June 7th, in the 



following terms : 



" Last week [May 25 to 31] we experienced many varieties of weather — 

 intense heat for two or three days, then we had a taste of rain, damp 

 weather and thick fog. This was followed by a rather severe thunder- 

 storm on Thursday evening, which somewhat cleared the air, and we 

 again had a very tine and warm week end." 



And as regards Alderney, the Guernsey Weekly Press of the 



same date said : 



" A heavy thunderstorm passed over the island on Thursday evening. 

 It had threatened all day, the weather being sultry, and banks of heavy 

 fog rolling in the offing. Much rain fell during the night." 



The thunderstorm referred to in the two paragraphs was 

 also felt at Guernsey, but it gave no rainfall at Les Blanches. 

 At Sark the amount was 0*13 in., and at Alderney 0*18 in. It 

 was during the prevalence of the thick fog mentioned in the 

 above notes that, at midnight of the 27th, the schooner 

 " Jeanne " ran on to the rocks at the Bigard, Forest, and 

 became a total wreck. And that same day, and because of 

 the same fog, the ss. " Serk," which left St. Peter-Port 

 harbour at 9.30 a.m., for Alderney, did not reach that 

 island until 2.15 p.m. of the 28th ! Of the heat wave its 

 intensity, on one day at any rate, will be gauged from 

 the fact that the 26th with a mean temperature of 65"2 

 deg. (normal 52*9 deg.) was the warmest May day at Les 

 Blanches of the 20 years 1894-1913. 



June was a cold and very dry month — the driest month 

 of the twelve at the three stations. At Guernsey (Les 

 Blanches) the mean temperature was continuously below the 

 normal from the 5th to the 13th inclusive, and again from the 

 18th to the 27th. Between these two cold intervals one 

 solitary and very hot day occurred (the 16th) when the 

 highest shade temperature of the year was registered, viz., 

 77*8 deg. It was in this month that began the "partial" 

 drought at Sark and Alderney recorded at the end of this 

 paper. 



July was very cold and would have been very dry as well 

 but for an unusually violent thunderstorm and heavy down- 

 pour in the last week. The month ran its course without a 

 vestige of summer warmth, 68*1 deg. was the highest point 

 touched by the screened thermometers at Les Blanches, while 

 onwards from the 5th the mean temperature was continuously 



