The Sprmg of 1906, 335 
an excess, amounting to 15 per cent, in the southern counties, 
18 per cent, in the eastern counties, and 21 per cent, in the 
south-western district. The amount of bright sunshine was 
in excess of the average in all districts, the winter being, as 
a whole, one of the brightest of recent years. 
The Speing of 1906. 
The spring was characterised by changeable weather, but 
was for the most part dry and rather cool, with frequent 
showers of snow or sleet in the latter half of March. An 
unusually brilliant April was followed by a dull and cheerless 
May, the duration of bright sunshine in the one month being 
almost as exceptional as in the other, though in an entirely 
opposite direction. In the third week in May, many parts of 
the country experienced sharp ground frosts, which occasioned 
locally a considerable amount of damage to the fruit blossoms, 
and to the tenderer kinds of field and garden crops. 
March opened with a few days of brilliantly fine weather 
in the eastern and southern counties, but with less settled 
conditions in the west and north, a strong westerly wind on 
the 8th and 9th being accompanied by thunderstorms in some 
parts of the north-western district. After the close of the first 
week the weather fell into a very unsettled state generally, and 
on the 11th and 12th a gale from south, veering to west and 
north-west, was experienced over the whole country with 
squalls of sleet or snow. Along our east coasts the north- 
westerly gale of the 12th was accompanied by an exceedingly 
high tide, which caused serious flooding in places. For the 
remainder of March the weather was generally cold and 
changeable, the only important exception occurring about the 
17th, when the spreading in of a mild breeze from the south- 
westward resulted in a shade temperature as high as 65° in 
many parts of England. At other times the wind was almost 
always from some northerly point, with occasional showers 
of hail, sleet, or snow. Sharp night frosts were common, 
the keenest of all occurring on or about the 13th, when the 
sheltered thermometer fell slightly below 20° in many places. 
In some parts of our northern and midland counties equally 
low temperatures were recorded between the 28th and 29th, 
but at this time the weather was improving, and at the close 
of the month it became fine and dry in nearly all districts. 
April was for the most part fine, dry, and unusually sunny. 
Between the 9th and 12th the thermometer was high for the 
season, maximum readings of 70° and upwards being recorded 
in most districts. In the closing week a rather unpleasant 
change took place, the wind, which had hitherto been rather 
variable, settling down into a northerly quarter and the weather 
[Continued on page 338.] 
