58 
mr. a. w. preston’s meteorological notes. 
September. 
For two years in succession the very unusual fact has to be 
recorded of the hottest day of the year occurring in September, 
and this, notwithstanding the large number of warm days which 
were experienced during the Summer of 1899. On the 5th the 
thermometer rose to 87 degrees, which, although 2 degrees lower 
than on the 9th September, 1898, was an extraordinarily high 
reading for so late in the season. The second week of the month 
gave fine but cooler days, but from the 15th the weather was cool 
and unsettled, and at times chilly and winterly. On the mean the 
temperature of the month was about the average, the coldness of 
the latter part counter-balancing the great heat of the earlier days 
of the month. Rain fell on nineteen days, against four in 1898 ; 
and on some occasions the falls were rather heavy. Thunder and 
lightning occurred on the 2nd, 6th, and 27th, and lightning was 
seen on several evenings during the last week of the mouth. 
A short but sharp gale of wind occurred on the early morning of 
the 22nd, and the barograph disclosed a rapid fall of the mercury 
during the night and early morning of that day, which, being 
succeeded by an equally quick rise, would not have been noticed 
by the ordinary 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. readings. The most violent 
gusts occurred about 4.30 a. in., just at the time of the lowest 
pressure. The following were the hourly barometric readings 
during the night and early morning : — 
Sept. 21st, 9 p.m., 29.76 in. 
„ 10 p.m., 29.70 in. 
„ 11 p.m., 29.65 in. 
„ Midnight 29.60 in. 
Sept. 22nd, 1 a.m., 29.55 in. 
„ 2 a.m., 29.48 in. 
„ 3 a.m., 29.40 in. 
Sept. 22nd, 4 a.m., 29.34 in. 
„ 4.30 29.32 in. 
„ 5 a.m., 29.34 in. 
„ 6 a.m., 29.43 in. 
„ 7 a.m., 29.50 in. 
„ 8 a.m., 29.54 in. 
„ 9 a.m., 29.58 in. 
October. 
Rainy weather continued till the 5th inst., when another tine 
period set in, lasting three weeks, and proving an agreeable 
supplement to an exceptionally fine Summer. During this period 
the thermometer rose to 60 degrees and above on ten days, 
and although there were at times morning and evening fogs, 
cloudless skies were the rule rather than the exception. The 
mean temperature of the month was about normal, but 5 degrees 
