396 



BAILIWICK RAINFALL. 



August was the wettest mouth of the year at all the 

 stations. Unsummerlike as July had proved itself August 

 turned out many times worse. For downright all round un- 

 seasonableness it was fortunately an August we are not likely 

 to see a repetition of in a hurry. At Sark, where rain fell on 

 25 days, it was, with a total of 6*57 in. of rain, the third 

 wettest month of the 7 years 1906-1912. At Alderney, 

 contrary to the usual order, somewhat less rain fell than at 

 Sark, but the state of things may be gauged by the following : 



" Special prayers for the cessation of rain were offered up in 

 the St. Anne's places of worship on Sunday last." — Evening Press, 

 August 19th. 



Court of Alderney, Tuesday. — " The Court, taking into con- 

 sideration the extraordinary bad weather which has hindered the 

 harvesting of 1912, and that the safe and rapid garnering of the 

 crops is of the greatest public utility, after having heard the 

 King's Procureur, passed an Act granting permission to whomever 

 wished, to reap and harvest during the remaining Sabbaths of the 

 season, said permission to date from Sunday, August 25th, and 

 ordered the publication thereof in the ordinary places." — Evening 

 Press 



" A number of farmers availed themselves of the recent Act 

 of Court relating to Sunday harvesting, and worked hard at 

 reaping on Sunday last." — Evening Press, September 12th. 



At Guernsey (Les Blanches) the month had 27 rain days and 

 its total of rainfall (7*43 in.) made it the wettest August 

 of the 19 years 1894-1912 ; it was also the coldest. 



August 12th was the wettest day of the year both at 

 Sark and Alderney where 1*35 in. and 1*30 in. respectively of 

 rain fell with a freshening east wind and a steadily dipping 

 barometer. At Guernsey (Les Blanches) 1*19 in. was 

 measured while at Jersey (St. Aubin's) the amount reached 

 2-18 in. ! 



Two cloud-bursts at Guernsey on the 19th, both 

 accompanied by thunder and lightning, gave a rainfall of 

 0*90 in. at Les Blanches. At Sark the day's rainfall only 

 totalled 0*23 in., but at Alderney the measurement reached 

 0*55 in. and Mr. Picot reported : " squally, cloudy, thunder- 

 storm, much rain." 



Sark had a big downpour all to itself on Sunday, the 25th. 

 It was another of those still days when, often, heaviest rain- 

 falls occur. A depression of some depth (Barometer 29*5 in.) 

 but little energy lay near us, and while Guernsey (Les 

 Blanches) measured 0*31 in. only of rain and Alderney 

 0*35 in., Capt. Henry's gauge at Sark collected 0*92 in. 



September brought no improvement as regards tempera- 

 ture — it was again miserably cold all through and the coldest 

 month of the name at Les Blanches of the 19 years period 



