1912.] 



BAILIWICK RAINFALL. 



397 



1894-1912. But in the matter of rainfall an anticyclonic 

 distribution of pressure gained the ascendancy in the early 

 days and a lengthy spell of dry weather Avas experienced. 

 At Sark only 0*20 in. fell in the four weeks ending on the 

 28th, and at Alderney the figure was still smaller, viz., 0*12 in. 

 In both islands an " absolute " drought was experienced (see 

 Table). A sudden change to cyclonic on the 28th resulted in 

 two very wet days as shown below :- — 



SARK. ALDERNEY. GUERNSEY. JERSEY. 



Sept. 29 ... 0-89 in 1*24 in l'35in 1-52 in. 



„ 30 ... 0-87 in 0*93 in 1*12 in 0'72 in. 



On Tuesday, October 1st, Sark was visited by a deluge 

 of rain, with thunder and lightning, between 3 and 4 p.m. 

 That day's rainfall, as measured by Capt. Henry, reached the 

 very big figure of 0'95 in. Alderney, which escaped the 

 cloud-burst, had less than a quarter of an inch of rain 

 (0*22 in. ). At Guernsey, where thunder and lightning 

 occurred between 3.30 and 4 p.m. in connection with a smart 

 squall of wind and rain, the day's total was 0*36 in. 



A spell of absolutely dry weather, of II days' duration at 

 Sark and Alderney, and of 10 at Guernsey, began on October 

 3rd, and then the weather broke up for good, cyclonic con- 

 ditions prevailing practically without break onward to the end 

 of the year. 



One feature of the weather of 1912 is the large number 

 of big downpours bordering on or passing the inch in amount. 

 Several of these have already been referred to and one more 

 remains to be mentioned. This latter fell on October 20th 

 during the passage north of the islands of a well-marked 

 Atlantic low-pressure area. At Sark the fall reached 0*80 in., 

 at Alderney 0*94 in., and at Guernsey (Les Blanches) 1*21 in. 



A thunderstorm, severe at Sark, was felt in the three 

 islands during the early morning of October 21st. The 

 disturbance was of the winter or " cyclonic " type known as 

 a " line squall," and occurred with a shift of wind from S. W. 

 to N.W. 



November was a typical month of the name, cold on the 

 whole because of much northerly wind, and continuously 

 unsettled in spite of a frequently high barometer. In the last 

 week the weather became rough and very wet, 1*68 in. of rain 

 falling at Sark in the four days, 26th-29th, 2'20 in. at 

 Alderney, and 2*17 in. at Guernsey (Les Blanches). 



December's weather was a continuation of that ex- 

 perienced in November with this difference, that the prevailing 

 direction of the wind being west a much milder temperature 



