185 
THE WEATHER OF 1891.* 
First Quarter. — The weather in January was dry and very cold, 
with frequent fog and snow. It was a continuation of the very 
cold weather which set in on November 25th, and thus con- 
tinued for 59 days. At Blackheath the mean temperature of many 
days was below the average by more than 10°, on the 10th the 
deficiency amounted to 18f°, and on the 11th to nearly 15°; the 
temperature of the 17th, 18th, and 19th was more than 12° below 
the average. It was warm and above its average from the 23rd to 
the end of the month, being particularly mild and warm on the 
24th, 28th, 29th, and 31st days, when it was 9°’3, 7°‘3, 7°'5, and 7° 
respectively above its average. The atmospheric pressure was above 
its average till the 19th, particularly so from the 10th to the 15th, 
the mean daily excess for these six days being 0‘68 incli, then below 
from the 20th to the 24th, and above again from the 25th to the 
end of the month. The fall of rain was a little below its average, 
and vegetation was backward. 
The weather in February was fine and dry, but with frequent 
fog. Snow fell at a few places on the 14th. The temperature of the 
air was generally above its average till the 8th, generally below from 
the 9th to the 26th, and above its average again on the 27th and 
28th. The atmospheric pressure was above its average throughout 
the month, with the exception of the 26th, when it was O'Ol inch 
below ; on several days varying from ^ an inch to | of an inch above 
its average. The fall of rain was exceedingly small all over the 
country ; no rain fell at Oxford, and at several stations only O’Ol 
inch fell ; at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, only 0'050 inch fell, 
and there are only four instances of as small or smaller fall of rain 
in the month of February back to 1815, viz. : — 
1870 it was 0'054 in. I 1834 it was O'OlO in. 
1867 „ 0-020 „ I 1821 „ 0-004 „ 
The weather in March was warm and pleasant during the first 
week, and the remainder of the month was cold and stormy, with 
frequent snow. The temperature of the air was above its average 
till the 7th, and below it from the 8th. The atmospheric pressure 
was above its average till the 5th, and was below it from the 6th. 
There was a heavy snowstorm on the 9 th and 10th, accompanied by 
a gale of wind. The snow was general, but was particularly heavy 
on the southern parts of England. The snow was deeper in Corn- 
wall and Devonshire than elsewhere ; in these counties many railway 
trains were blocked for several days notwithstanding the labour of 
several hundreds of men. Plymouth sufiered very severely both 
from snow and wind. Vegetation at the end of the month was 
very backward. 
' Abstracted from the particulars supplied to the Kegpstrar-General by- 
James Glaisher, Esq., F.R.S., i^c. 
