The Summer of 1905. 
261 
week. In August the conditions gradually broke up, and for 
the remainder of the season there was practically no reappear- 
ance of anything in the shape of real summer weather, the 
thermometer being more often than not below the average for 
the time of the year. 
June commenced with a very brief spell of south-westerly 
breezes and fair weather. After the 4th, however, the wind 
shifted to the north-eastward, and after the 11th it backed to 
east, the thermometer being, in consequence, below its average 
level. Cyclonic disturbances appearing over France soon 
caused heavy rains in all neighbouring parts of England, 
the largest falls occurring on the 5th when amounts varying 
between 1^ in. and 2\ in. were measured in several parts of 
our eastern and southern counties. During the week ending 
June 10 the total rainfall in the eastern district was as much 
as five times the average, while in the southern district it was 
no less than six times the average. After the 11th the disturbed 
weather spread further north, and for about a week the con- 
ditions were very changeable over the entire country, with 
occasional thunderstorms in nearly all districts. The most 
general storms appear to have occurred between the 17th and 
19th, and were accompanied in many places by very heavy 
falls of rain, more than 1^ in. being collected on the 17th in 
some parts of the eastern and midland counties, as well as in 
Lancashire and the Isle of Man. On or about the 21st a very 
decided improvement took place, and for some three or four 
days fine summer weather prevailed very generally. Towards 
the close of the month, however, the conditions again became 
unsettled and thundery, and on the 30th heavy falls of rain 
were reported in many parts of England and Wales. 
July opened with a continuance of the changeable weather 
noticed at the end of June, no very material alteration occur- 
ring until about the 10th. Thunderstorms occurred almost 
every day in some part of the country, and on the 9th in most 
districts, when a torrential fall of rain and hail visited Middlesex ; 
at Enfield nearly 2\ in. of rain came down in fifty minutes, 
and in this and other parts of the county the hailstones 
caused much damage to fruit and vegetable crops. After 
the 10th and throughout nearly the remainder of July the 
weather was very much finer, and was, in fact, more settled 
than at any other time in the summer. With an abundance 
of sunshine the thermometer rose to quite a seasonable level, 
the shade temperature being above 80° on several days, and 
occasionally a trifle above 85° in some portions of the midland 
and southern counties. On the 26th and 27th there was a slight 
break in the weather in the eastern and southern districts, 
where thunderstorms occurred rather generally. 
