mr. a. w. preston’s meteorological notes. 591 
September. 
From the 6th to the 24th anticyclonic conditions prevailed, 
and the month was exceedingly fine throughout, forming 
a pleasant contrast to each of the previous five months, 
giving the farmer an opportunity of getting in the harvest 
in a phenomenally short space of time, and those who had 
postponed their summer holidays to September were exception- 
ally favoured. A very singular drop in temperature occurred 
on the 3rd, when the thermometer failed to exceed 53.2 degrees 
all day, and this is the more noteworthy, as it was the 
anniversary of the extraordinary reading of 93 degrees which 
happened on the same day of the previous year, thus 
illustrating that it is possible for one day to be 40 degrees 
warmer in one year than it is in the next. The month was 
the driest September since 1898, the total rainfall having 
been but half an inch. Mean temperature was 0.3 higher than 
that of July. On the 25th the thermometer went up to 
79 degrees, which was the highest recorded since May 12th, 
but on the nights of the 22nd and 23rd there were some 
rather sharp ground frosts. 
October. 
This month was inclined to be rainy in the early part, but 
it was, on the whole*, a fine pleasant period of good autumnal 
weather, with many mild days and but little cold. The 
thermometer exceeded 60 degrees on nine days. The total 
rainfall amounted to 3.26 ins. Winds were generally from 
a southerly quarter, and light in force, there having been 
a remarkable absence of the gales which are usually 
associated with this season of the year. 
November. 
The weather of this month was normal in most of its 
features. Owing to the absence of wind there was a tendency 
to fog on many days, and there was a good deal of drizzling 
rain and much cloud. Rain fell on 24 days, but nearly 
