290 The Weather dtirhig the Agricultural Year, 1906-1907. 
being accompanied by considerable falls of snow, especiallj' 
in the northern districts. On the night of the 25th a snow- 
storm passed from north-west to south-east over the whole 
of England, and as a result of further falls which occurred 
in the next four or five days a considerable portion of northern, 
eastern, and central England was eventually covered to the 
depth of more than a foot, some places in Durham and 
Northumberland reporting as much as 16 ins. The lowest 
temperatures were experienced at various times between the 
26th and 31st of the month, the screened thermometer register- 
ing at least 15° of frost in many parts of the country. At 
Woburn, Lowestoft, Wokingham, and Llangammarch Wells 
{in central Wales), the thermometer fell to 13°, and at 
Folkestone to 12", while at Swai’raton, in Hampshire, a reading 
as low as 3" was recorded early in the morning of the 30th. 
In the second frosty period, which commenced about 
January 23 and lasted until the end of the first week in 
February, the cold originated with a brisk easterly wind 
which swept across in an unbroken stream from the plains 
of central Europe. The lowest temperatures were recorded 
as a rule either on January 24-25, or on February 2 to 4. 
On each occasion the screened thermometer fell below 20" in 
many places, the lowest readings reported being — (1) on 
January 25, when the thermometer sank to 5° at Llangammarch 
Wells, and to 10" at Garforth, Stokesay, Hereford, and Hilling- 
ton ; and (2) on February 2 or 3, when the thermometer fell 
to 10" at Llangammarch Wells, and to 13° at Wokingham. 
The heaviest x-ains of the winter occurred during the first 
halves of December and February, but amounts exceeding an 
inch in twenty-four hours were i-are. Throughout the greater 
part of January there was a large deficiency of rain, and at a 
number of places an absolute drought was experienced fox- 
periods varying betweexx a fortnight aixd three weeks. For the 
wirxter as a whole precipitatioxx was coxisiderably below the 
average, the midland and south-western counties x-eceiving 
less than three-foixx-ths of their due share, and the easterxx 
counties less than two-thirds. The aggregate duration of 
bright sxxixshixxe was large, every district recording xnore than 
the average amoxxxxt. The excess appeax-s to have beexi least iix 
the south-western axxd greatest iix the north-eastex-xx parts of the 
country ; in the latter district the duration axxxounted to xnore 
thaix half as xnuch agaiix as the average. 
Sharp gales, mainly from points between west axxd xxorth-west, 
occurred on December 5 to 6, at the close of the same month, 
oxx January 1 to 3, and at the close of January. The wox-st 
gale of the whole winter occux-red, however, betweexx February 
19 and 21, when a huge cyclonic system passed across ixorth- 
