THE YORK RAINFALL. 
63 
One result of these further records is to alter the view based 
on the 50 years averages that probably August was the wettest 
month. It now certainly seems that October has the stronger 
claim. 
The evidence is now stronger that August is wetter than 
October at times of sun-spot minima and vice versa. The 50 
years (1841-go) gave therefore an undue advantage to August, 
as it included 5 minima, but only 4 maxima. 
There have been five changes, in all, in the greatest and least 
monthly rainfall in any year. The maximum now is 375 for 
Jan. (1834), an d 4*86 for Nov. (1836). The minimum is now 
0*08 for Feb. (1891), 0*22 for May (1836), and o'20 instead 
of 072 for Oct. (1834). The o'o8 for Feb. (1901) is the least 
of any month in the 70 years. As a fact no rain fell actually 
in February. Part of the above was due to fog and the rest to 
rain after midnight on the last night, which therefore fell on 
March 1st, though technically counting to Feb. 28th. 
There were no monthly falls over 5 inches to add to the 11 
in the previous record, either in the thirties or nineties. 
Appended are two graphic representations. Plate I. gives 
the monthly rainfall curve for 1831—igoo and days with rain. 
The latter and the dotted rainfall curve give the values cor¬ 
rected to 30 days for each month. In both these the curve 
is -very regular, save for the curious drop in September. 
A comparison of the rainfall curve and that of the number 
of wet days shows strikingly how much the totals in July and 
August depend upon a few heavy falls. In the second plate 
curves of absolute rainfall means are given to compare the 
three periods of 50, 70, and 84 years. 
The broad results are that York Rainfall averages 24J to 
24J ins., of which 10J ins. fall in 6 dry months—December to 
May, the average per month being i\ to i T 9 y ins. The other 
6 months all exceed 2 ins., although their total is only 4J ins. 
more. March has least rain, October most, but the heavy 
falls in July and August nearly make up for the larger average 
of wet days in October. June has the fewest rainy days and 
November the most. The range, however, is only from about 
12J to 16 b days. 
