REPORT ON METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, WISLEY, 1913. 63 



recorded. At Wisley dahlias were cut by frost on the night of the 

 9th ; but roses flowered throughout the month, and in some districts 

 wallflowers, primroses, and even strawberries did so also. The rainfall 

 along the eastern coasts of England and Scotland failed to reach the 

 monthly average, and in some districts — ^Wisley being one — 'the number 

 of days of rain was moderate ; but on the other hand many districts 

 had rain nearly every day, and the normal amount was considerably 

 exceeded. In the extreme west the amount of sunshine was less 

 than the normal for November, but generally speaking the number 

 of hours recorded largely exceeded the average, in some districts by 

 50 per cent. 



The records from Wisley show : 



Mean temperature of the air in shade 



Highest 



Lowest 



Lowest on the grass 



Number of nights of ground frost . 



47 

 59° 

 26° 

 20"^ 



on the nth 

 23rd 

 23rd 

 . 16 



I ft. 



2 ft. 



4 ft. 



47-8° 



49-5° 



51-1° 



51° 



52° 



53° 



43° 



47° 



49° I 



Mean temperature of the soil at 9 a.m. 

 Highest „ „ 



Lowest „ „ „ „ . . 



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

 sented by 100), 90 per cent. 



Rain fell on 12 days, to the total depth of 2" 17 in.: (equivalent to about 10 

 gallons of water to the square yard). 



Heaviest fall on any day o- 60 in., on the 2 1st. ' 



The prevailing winds were south-westerly. 



The average velocity of the wind was 7 miles per hour. 



There were 81 hours of bright sunshine, equal to 31 per cent, of the greatest 

 possible amount. 



There were 5 days on which no sunshine was recorded. 



December. — -The abnormal features of this autumn were continued 

 into the closing month of the year, and relatively high temperatures 

 were again noticeable throughout. Cold intervals were, however, more 

 frequent, and more generally experienced, than hitherto, and night 

 frosts were not uncommon and occasionally were severe ; at Wislay 

 the lowest point reached by the thermometer laid upon the grass was 

 14°, but in the north it fell still lower. The openness of the season 

 v/as, however, still testified to by the activity of vegetation reported 

 from various districts :■ — an abnormally large ripe wild strawberry " 

 picked on the roadside in Worcestershire ; roses, violets, and various 

 spring flowers " gathered in Surrey ; " blackberries in full bloom " 

 in the Isle of Wight, and so on. The month closed with colder weather, 

 but till then the general level of temperature had been above the 

 normal throughout. The month was a dry one except at a few 

 normally wet spots in the north-west ; and although there were a 

 good many districts which were exceptions, yet, generally speaking, it 

 was also a bright month, the amount of bright sunshine recorded being 

 in many parts largely in excess of the normal. 



