NOTES ON THE RAINFALL OF THE BAILIWICK IN 

 1912, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SARK 

 AND ALDERNEY. 



BY BASIL T. ROWSWELL. 



The very wet year, 1910, has been quickly followed by 

 another twelvemonth of abnormal rainfall, a few facts in 

 connection with which it is my intention to touch upon briefly 

 in the following notes. The two years (1910 and 1912) at 

 Guernsey, as shown by the records at Les Blanches, had to 

 all intents and purposes a similar rainfall. At Sark there 

 was a perceptible difference, the figures proving 1912 to have 

 been the drier of the two years in that island by rather more 

 than one inch. Alderney cannot enter into the comparison 

 because of an unfortunate break in the record which occurred 

 during October, 1910, but this notwithstanding the eleven 

 months' figures show that Alderney by no means escaped the 

 1910 deluge. 



As, speaking in a general way, the same weather obtains 

 in all the islands of the Bailiwick — more, in the whole of the 

 Channel group — a few words on the building up of the 45^ 

 inches of rain constituting the 1910 and 1912 total at Les 

 Blanches and its relation to the normal of 34 inches may not 

 be out of place in these introductory remarks because of its 

 applying with equal force, if dealing with a smaller rainfall 

 total, to Sark and Alderney. As regards the three islands, 

 Guernsey, Sark and Alderney, the figures appear to point 

 conclusively to Sark being the driest and Guernsey the wettest 

 place, but bearing this in mind and the natural effect of acci- 

 dental differences, such for instance as are sometimes occasioned 

 by local thunderstorm rains or heavy partial showers, a dry 

 month or a wet year in one island is equally so in the other two. 



Rainfall of 1910 and 1912 Compared. 

 The year 1912, similarly to 1910, enjoyed a surplus of 

 rainfall from beginning to end. At the start 1910 proved 

 very decidedly the wetter of the two, and held the position 

 until the advent of March when 1912 temporarily took the 

 lead owing to March proving abnormally wet in this year. 

 On March 31st, however, the two years were running each 

 other very closely, 1912 having topped 1910 by 0*23 in. 

 only. The figures are: 1912, 12*08 in. ; 1910, 11*85 in. ; 

 normal, 7*62 in. 



E 



