NOTES ON THE SPRINGS AND SUMMERS OF 1911 AND 1912. 537 



shows the rainfall (at Ipswich Museum) from March 24 to July 31, 

 with the number of. days on which rain fell: — 





1911 



1912 



Average 



March 24-31 



. 0-25 ( 4 days) 



0-07 ( 4 days) 



0-35 in. 



April . 



. 1-28 (13 „' ) 



0-28 ( 7 „ ) 



1-51 „ 



May . 



. 0-84 ( 4 „ ) 



0-48 (9 „ ) 



1-89 „ 



June . 



• 2-77 (13 „ ) 



2-99 (18 „ ) 



1-73 „ 



July . 



. 1-55 ( 7 „ ) 



2-22 (13 „ ) 



2-34 „ 



Totals . 6=69 (41 days) 6-04 (51 days) 



The average given is for twenty years ending 1887. 



I regret that Ipswich figures are the only ones available, because 

 I am quite sure that here the 1912 rainfall for June and July was 

 considerably less than that given, but there is no situation sufficiently 

 open in my garlen to put a gauge with any chance of getting accurate 

 figures. The two notable features of this table are that the spring 

 and early summer were drier this year than last, and that June was 

 in both years the wettest month. The August rainfall was very 

 deficient in 1911, appreciable rain falling between August 1 and: 

 September 13 on August 21 and 22 only. This is a great contrast to 

 1912, the late August having been the wettest on record. Only eight 

 days were rainless; 7'39 inches fell during the month, of which 3"19 

 inches fell between midnight on the 25th and midnight on the 26th, the 

 eight days 19th to 26th giving altogether 4'89 inches. September had 

 showers or drizzle on eleven days, heavy rain during the night 29th to 

 30th, am.ounting to over 2 inches, and bringing the total well above the 

 average. In sunshine and temperature the two seasons afford a contrast, 

 June being the only month in which they were at all alike. The really 

 noteworthy feature of 1911 was not so much the drought — 1893 and 

 1895 were both drier — as the great heat and the abundant sunshine. 

 1912 has gone from bad to worse in this respect. The spring was, on 

 the whole, sunny and warm, but a thundery type of weather set in after 

 the middle of May, and from then till September the sun was always 

 partially obscured by a very high, thin cirrus haze, with the possible 

 exception of the one hot week in July. August and September were 

 almost the dullest on record. In 1911 temperature was 80° and up- 

 wards on twenty -nine days, and 90° or more on five of them. In 1912 

 it reached 80° on May 11 and June 19, and was above 80° from July 12 

 to 16, inclusive; the maximum for the summer being 86° on July 13, as 

 against 93° on August 9, 1911. After July 27 the thermometer never 

 reached 70°, August and September being the coldest I ever remember. 



With respect to the effect of the two seasons on vegetation, one 

 might say that 1912 has done its best to counteract the benefits con- 

 ferred by 1911. Perhaps the most noticeable feature of the current 

 season has been the extreme earliness of everything. The hazels were 

 in full bloom at Christmas 1911 ; snowdrops came at the Epiphany. 

 There is a saying in Suffolk that early snowdrops mean an early 

 harvest, and harvest began quite a fortnight before its usual time. The 



