The  Autumn  of  1904. 
389 
The  first  week  in  October  was  verj"  changeable.  Exceed- 
ingly heavy  rains  fell  in  the  Channel  Islands  and  on  some 
parts  of  our  sonthern  coasts  on  the  2nd,  the  amount  being 
over  2 in.  at  Jersey,  and  nearly  in.  at  Guernsey.  In 
the  north  the  weather  was  at  the  same  time  fair  ami  quiet, 
with  a sharp  ground  frost  at  night,  the  exposed  thermometer 
at  Rauceljy  falling  early  on  the  3rd  to  a minimum  of  18". 
A stiff  westerly  gale  swept  over  the  whole  country  on 
the  5th  and  6th,  with  further  heavy  rains  on  the  latter  day, 
Guernsey  again  receiving  more  than  an  inch.  After  this  an 
anticyclone  spread  over  us  and  the  weather  imi)roved  decidedly, 
the  days  being  fairly  warm  but  the  nights  cold  and  frosty. 
Towards  the  middle  of  the  month  another  unsettled  spell  set 
in,  the  wind  being  in  the  south- west  and  the  thermometer  high, 
especially  on  the  18th,  when  shade  temperatures  exceeding  65" 
were  registered  in  most  parts  of  England."  On  the  16th  a 
heavy  fall  of  rain  occurred  in  Wales  and  Lancashire,  the 
amount  being  as  large  as  1^  in.  at  Stonyhurst  and  Llangani- 
march  Wells,  and  over  2 in.  at  Bettws-y-Coed.  Between  the 
19th  and  21st  a thick  wet  fog  prevailed  very  generally,  but  for 
the  remainder  of  the  month  the  weather  was  mostly  fair  and 
dry,  with  a temperature  slightly  above  the  average. 
November  opened  with  mild  and  drjq  Imt  with  very  cloudy, 
weather,  these  conditions  lasting  with  slight  interruptions  until 
after  the  middle  of  the  month.  On  the  7th  and  8th,  however, 
wheji  a strong  gale  from  west  and  north-west  prevailed  over 
the  entire  country,  considerable  falls  of  rain  were  reported 
over  our  north-western  districts,  the  aggregate  amount  at 
Stonyhurst  for  the  two  days  being  more  than  3 in.  ; while 
from  the  13th  to  the  18th  there  was  much  wet  fog  over  the 
whole  country,  especially  in  the  night  and  early  morning  hours. 
After  the  19th  a radical  change  took  place,  the  wind  shifting 
to  the  northward  (and  blowing  a strong  gale  on  the  22nd),  witli 
snow  and  bitterly  cold  weather  in  all  districts.  Over  the 
northern  and  central  parts  of  the  kingdom  the  snowstorms 
of  the  21st  and  22nd  were  very  heavy,  and  occasioned 
serious  interi-uption  to  all  kinds  of  traffic.  In  many  places 
the  temperatures  registered  between  the  22nd  and  27th  were 
the  lowest  on  record  for  the  month  of  November,  the  sheltered 
thermometer  falling  below  15“  over  a considerable  portion  of 
the  country,  to  11"  at  Hereford,  and  to  8"  at  Cambridge. 
Between  the  24th  and  26th  there  were  many  spots  in  which 
the  thermometer  did  not  reach  the  freezing  point  all  day, 
the  coldness  being  aggravated  by  a fog  which  set  in  on  the  24th 
and  continued  with  short  intervals  until  the  29th.  At  the  close 
of  the  month  a westerly  l)reeze  sprang  up  and  the  weather 
became  milder. 
[Coutiiuictl  on  Rage  302.] 
