RAINFALL AT SARK AND ALDERNEY. 



241 



excess in the 1910 rainfall. There is every reason to believe 

 that excesses and deficiences of rainfall always balance 

 themselves in time. Sooner or later, no matter how great 

 the departure from the normal may be, a restoration to par 

 occurs. 



The year 1910 began with a distribution of atmospheric 

 pressure which had in it great possibilities for the making 

 of fine weather in the Channel Islands ; everything seemed 

 to point to the likely development of a cold snap. But it 

 never came off, for after a week of wavering uncertainty 

 the tide turned in the direction of " unsettled," which as 

 the days advanced became more pronounced in every respect 

 and, in the end, made the month one of marked cyclonic 

 activity, variable temperature and heavy rainfalls. 



In all the islands very little rain fell until the 11th 

 when the first big fall of the year occurred, and a stiff 

 gale with heavy thunderstorm was reported from Alderney. 

 Lightning and thunder also occurred at Guernsey between 

 6 and 7 p.m. that day. Very heavy rain again fell on 

 Sunday, the 23rd, in connection with the passage of a 

 deep Atlantic disturbance. The measurements were : Sark, 

 0*67 in. ; Alderney, 0'83 in. ; Guernsey (Les Blanches), 

 0-83 in. 



From Guernsey on Wednesday, the 26th, the ad- 

 jacent French coast and Alderney were observed to be 

 thickly covered with snow. In confirmation Mr. Picot's 

 weekly report stated that a heavy fall of snow had been 

 experienced at Alderney during the night from the 25th 

 to the 26th. On the 26th itself an interesting peculiarity 

 in rainfall was noted, for while Capt. Henry at Sark reported 

 a perfectly dry day, and 0*01 in. only of rain fell at Guernsey 

 (Les Blanches), a " steady snowfall " yielding 0*35 in. of 

 water in the gauge, occurred at Alderney during the " after- 

 noon and evening." Roughly from four to five inches of 

 snow are represented by Mr. Picot's measurement given 

 above. On Saturday evening, January 29th, the Great 

 Daylight Comet (1910«) was seen at Alderney ; it was 

 also seen at Guernsey the same day. 



February proved mild but exceedingly unsettled. Both 

 at Sark and Alderney it was the wettest February of the 

 five years 1906-1910 ; at Les Blanches it was the wettest 

 month of the name since 1900. Out of the 28 days rain 

 was measured on 25 at Sark, 26 at Alderney and 27 at 

 Les Blanches. Lightning occurred at Alderney on the 7th, 

 " thunder and lightning " during the evening of the 20th, 



