326 



NOTES ON THE RAINFALL. 



spell turn out to be the warmest and driest three months of 

 the name in the 18 years, 1894-1911. 



At the end of September, such had been the combined 

 effect of the prolonged summer drought and of the dry spring 

 months, the year's rainfall was the smallest at Les Blanches of 

 the last 18 years. The figures are : — 



January to September, 1911 - 14 68 in. 



Previous driest January to September (1908) 16'55 in. 



Previous wettest January to September (1897) 29'43 in. 



Average of the 10 years, 1894-1903 22 08 in. 



But a great change was at hand — had in fact set in before 

 the advent of October, and from being very dry the weather 

 became very wet. The rains began on September 19th and 

 continued with such persistence to the very end of the year, 

 that out of 104 days no fewer than 84 had a measurable 

 rainfall at Les Blanches. October was very wet, November 

 still more so, while December proved the second wettest 

 month on record at the Gruernsey station already quoted— that 

 is since January, 1894. The excessive wetness of both 

 November and December as compared with the previous 

 ten months is well brought out by the fact that of the twelve 

 months' total rainfall at Les Blanches (34*74 in.), half was 

 measured in the last nine weeks and five days of the year. 



As regards temperature, 1911 was the warmest year since 

 1899 ; it is, in fact, with 1898 (which had a similar mean 

 temperature) the second warmest year on record at St. 

 Martin's since 1894. In the matter of rainfall 1911 

 was, the previous year excepted, the wettest twelve months 

 since 1904. It will doubtless be remembered that the year 

 before last (1910) was one of unusually heavy rainfall. At 

 St. Martin's (Les Blanches) the total reached the very 

 big figure of 45*54 in. 



***** 



January (1911) was a dry period, and as early in the 

 year as the 12th of that month, a spell of weather giving 

 deficient rainfall set in. It began on the same day all over 

 the Bailiwick and developed into both a " partial " and an 

 " absolute " drought * at Sark and Alderney. At Gruernsey 

 (Les Blanches) we escaped the "absolute " phase — that is we 

 did not attain unto 15 consecutive and absolutely dry days. 

 In both of the smaller islands all the dates in connection with 

 this interval of drought are the same, for the returns supplied 

 by Capt. Henry and Mr. Picot show that at each station 

 it ended on February 17th, and that the rainless period 



* See page 332 for a definition of the terms "absolute " and " partial " drought. 



