REPORT ON METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS AT WISLEY. 137 



Rain fell on 13 days to the total depth of ... 2-00 in. 



(Equivalent to about 9| gallons of water to the square yard,) 



Heaviest fall on any day 0-62 in. on the 19th 



The prevailing winds were from between south and west. 

 The average velocity of the wind was not recorded. 



There were 238 hours of bright sunshine, equal to 58 per cent, of the greatest 



possible amount. 

 There was only 1 day on which no sunshine was recorded. 



May. — This was a fine month, with a sUght rainfall and a very large 

 amount of bright sunshine, causing warm days, which, however, were 

 not infrequently followed by cold nights, so that the range of tem- 

 perature was large. The temperature soon after the middle of the month 

 rose to upwards of 80° in many parts of England, and throughout the 

 month the thermometer continued fairly high. About the middle of the 

 month the traditional " cold period in May " made its appearance, and 

 lasted three or four days, during which east and north-east winds pre- 

 vailed, some slight showers of sleet and snow accompanying them in 

 some of the Midland and Northern Counties. The great feature of the 

 weather of the month was, however, the remarkable prevalence of 

 bright sunshine, the record at Wisley averaging ten and a half hours 

 a day and in some parts of the British Isles as much as eleven and a 

 quarter hours a day, being the largest May record since the introduc- 

 tion of the Sunshine Eecorder. Eain was measured on nine days, but 

 more than two-thirds of the total fall fell on two days, and there was 

 not one entirely sunless day. 



The following are the results of the observations made at Wisley : 



Mean temperature of the air in shade ... 52°. 3 



Highest „ „ „ 80°.0 on the 21st 



Lowest „ „ „ 32°.0 „ 16th 



Lowest „ on the grass ... 23°. 8 „ 16th 



Number of days of ground frost ., 14 



At 1ft. At 2 ft. At 4 ft. 

 deep. deep. deep. 



Mean temperature of the soil at 9 A.M. 53°.l 53°.l 50°.6 



Highest „ „ „ 59°.3 57°.5 6S°A 



Lowest „ „ „ 46°.9 49°.3 48°.5 



Mean relative humidity of the air at 9 a.m. (complete saturation being 



represented by 100) 62 % 



Rain fell on 9 days to the total depth of ... ... ... ... ... ... 1-51 in. 



(Equivalent to about 7 gallons of wate?: to the square yard.) 



Heaviest fall on any day 0-67 in. on the 24th 



The prevailing winds were south-westerly. 



The average velocity of the wind was 5 miles an hour. 



There were 322 hours of bright sunshine, equal to 68 per cent, of the greatest 



possible amount. 

 There was not one day on which no sunshine was recorded. 



June. — This was a month of cold, unsettled, inclement weather, 

 and although near the middle of the month there was a slight improve- 

 ment for a while, yet the temperature never reached the ordinary level 

 for the time of the year, and over the greater part of the country the 

 month proved one of the coldest Junes on record. There was a good 

 deal of rain, especially during the latter half of the month, and in 



