The  Weather  of  the  Past  Agricultural  Year.  409 
than  90  per  cent,  of  the  time  it  was  above  the  horizon,  and,  in 
response,  the  thermometer  rose  steadily  to  a springlike  level, 
the  maximum  shade  readings  of  the  9th  to  11th  being  slightly 
above  70°  in  many  parts  of  England,  and  as  high  as  74°  at 
Maidenhead  and  Cullompton  (Mid  Devon).  The  anticyclone 
was  then  passing  away  to  the  south-westward,  and  for  the 
remainder  of  April  the  weather  was  influenced  by  cyclonic 
areas  which  came  in  from  the  Atlantic.  Rain  was  therefore 
frequent  (during  a thunderstorm  on  the  23rd  nearly  an  inch 
fell  on  the  coasts  of  Kent),  but  substantial  intervals  of  bright 
weather  were  experienced,  and,  with  winds  mostly  from  some 
southerly  quarter,  the  temperature  was  for  some  time  above  the 
average.  Quite  at  the  close  of  the  month,  however,  a cold 
breeze  spread  down  from  the  northward,  and  on  the  29th  and 
30th  showers  of  hail  or  snow,  accompanied  in  some  places  by 
thunder,  were  reported  in  many  districts 
May  opened  with  a spell  of  weather  strikingly  similar  to 
that  experienced  early  in  April.  Under  the  influence  of  a 
large  anticyclone  which  drifted  slowly  north-eastwards  across 
western  Europe  the  sky  again  became  almost  cloudless,  and  in 
the  week  ending  the  8th  more  than  90  per  cent,  of  the  possible 
amount  of  bright  sunshine  was  experienced  over  central  and 
southern  England.  With  winds  mainly  from  some  easterly 
point  the  thermometer,  however,  failed  to  rise  to  any  very  high 
level,  shade  readings  above  70°  being  recorded  only  in  a few 
scattered  places.  In  the  second  week  the  wind  shifted  to  the 
northward,  and  the  weather  became  cold  and  changeable, 
snow  showers  occurring  on  the  13th  as  far  south  as  London 
and  Rothamsted,  with  sharp  night  frosts  between  the  13th  and 
15th.  Later  on  flne  bright  weather  set  in  very  generally  over 
England,  but  in  the  closing  week  the  advance  of  cyclonic  areas 
from  the  Atlantic  was  marked  by  rather  frequent  rains,  with, 
however,  a general  rise  of  temperature.  Between  the  21st  and 
23rd  shade  readings  of  80°  and  upwards  were  recorded  in 
' several  parts  of  England,  the  thermometer  touching  84°  at 
Maidenhead  on  the  21st,  and  at  Greenwich  on  the  22nd. 
For  the  spring  as  a whole  the  mean  temperature  was  rather 
above  the  average,  and  rainfall  also  in  excess,  the  wettest 
weather  being  experienced  over  our  southern  counties  and  in 
the  north-east  of  England.  Bright  sunshine  was  abundant,  the 
duration  amounting  on  an  average  to  more  than  one  hour  per 
day  in  excess  of  the  normal  in  the  eastern,  midland,  and 
north-western  counties,  and  to  about  an  hour  and  a half  per 
day  more  than  the  normal  in  the  south-east  of  England.  At 
Westminster  the  total  amount  of  sunshine  both  in  March  and 
April  was  the  largest  observed  in  those  months  since  the 
recording  instrument  was  started  in  1883. 
[Continued  on  page  412.] 
