72 



BAILIWICK RAINFALL. 



September was another dry month, especially up to the 

 12th. At Sark no rain at all was recorded by Capt. Henry 

 from the 1st to the 9th inclusive. At Alderney, however, 

 a tropical downpour early on Thursday, the 18th, turned the 

 month into the wettest September in that island of the eight 

 years, 1906-13. On that day in the short space of less than 

 an hour no less than 2'00 in. of rain fell at Le Huret. This 

 is by far the heaviest rainfall at Alderney of the eight- 

 year period just referred to. 



Wednesday, September 17th, was a day of peculiar rain- 

 fall in the islands — ono. of those still, quiet days when heavy 

 ominous-looking masses of cloud make their appearance in the 

 sky and move so slowly as to give one the impression of their 

 having come down from above rather than moved up from the 

 horizon. Rain in weather of this description is uncertain, 

 and when it does occur falls in local patches and sporadically. 

 As shown in the folloAving table, which gives the rainfall of 

 the 17th at several stations, such w r as very much the case on 

 the day in question. 







Guernsey. 







Sakk. 



Alderney. 



Hautnez. 



Les 



Blanches. 



Brooklyn 

 Fort Rd. 



Guille- 



Alles 



Library. 



Les 

 Heches. 



St. 

 George 



Vallee du 

 Creux. 



Le Huret. 



in. 

 074 



in. 

 0*35 



in. 

 0*18 



in. 

 0'04 



in. 

 0'03 



in. 

 0'02 



in. 

 0'08 



in. 



2*00 



Note. — I am indebted to Mr. Collenette for the use of the figures for 

 Hautnez, Brooklyn, Les Heches and St. George. 



In explanation of the. above table it should be added that 

 the Guernsey figures, at any rate those for the three first 

 stations named, represent a rainfall that lasted from one to 

 one and a half hours, and this fell between 9*30 and 11 a.m. 

 of the 17th. The Alderney downpour really occurred at 5 

 a.m. on the 18th and fell as nearly as it was possible to ascer- 

 tain in from half to three-quarters of an hour. 



At Alderney, as well as at Guernsey, the day's rainfall 

 appears to have been very local, for, writing on the subject of 

 the cloudburst, Mr. Picot said : " Strange to say no rain fell 

 over Mannez at the eastern end of the island, and the effects 

 were more disastrous on the N.W. side — in the Vallee and 

 Platte Saline — than in town. It was strictly local, you see. 

 There was no thunderstorm, but when all was over, about 5* 15 

 o'clock, one single muffled clap of thunder was heard, and that 

 was all." Mr. Picot said the rain was of a singularly black 



