474 
mr. a. w. preston’s meteorological notes. 
February. 
Although the mean temperature was 2J degrees lower than in 
January, mildness again characterised this month, and a deficiency 
of rainfall was again chronicled. It was the fifth month in 
succession with an excess of temperature, and with the rainfall 
under the average. There was a great prevalence of westerly and 
north-westerly winds, which were on some days very rough and 
ungenial, and generally the month exhibited more winter traits 
than January. One of the most remarkable occurrences of the 
month was the excessive warmth of the first day, when the 
unusually high reading of the thermometer, 60.2 degrees, was 
registered. This value has been recorded in the last week of the 
month on two or three previous occasions during the last half- 
century ; but in the first week it is almost unprecedented, although 
Luke Howard mentions 65 degrees as registered on the 1st and 
62 degrees on the 4th February, 1828, and Whistlecraft recorded 
60 degrees on the 10th February, 1831. Some thunder and 
lightning were observed in Norwich in the early morning hours 
of the 5th. 
March. 
March was colder than any of the three preceding winter months, 
the mean temperature being 0.2 degrees lower than December, 
3.4 degrees than January, and 1.0 degree than February. It was 
the coldest March for six years past, but not nearly so cold as in 
1883, 18S7, 1888, or 1892. Until the 23rd day the weather was 
of a medium character generally, but with a deficiency of rainfall. 
On the 23rd, after two or three very genial days, a sudden depression 
of the barometer brought a very unpleasant change. A severe gale 
from the N. and N.E. blew with but little intermission for nearly 
seventy-two hours, accompanied by snow, sleet, hail, and heavy rain. 
The cause of this visitation was the arrival of a cyclonic disturb- 
ance from the north-west, whose centre was situated in the vicinity 
of Western Germany, and became nearly stationary there for some 
days. The track of this depression was an unusual one, and 
although its centre was not very deep, it developed much energy 
over a considerable area. As it filled up the weather improved, 
but its effects were disastrous both at sea and on the coast, where, 
