NOTE ON THE JANUARY HIGH BAROMETER. 
On January 9th, the barometer over the British Islands rose 
to a point higher than any previous record for the same 
region. So early as Sunday morning, the 5th, it had already 
risen to 30 5 inches in S.E. England and the neighbouring 
parts of the Continent. It was lowest, 29 - 7 inches, over Eastern 
Russia. Next morning pressure had everywhere increased, 
and from then until the evening of the lltli, British readings 
were all over 30’5 inches. The centre, however, shifted from 
the S.E. to the N.W., reaching 31 inches at Stornoway, in the 
Hebrides, on the evening of the 8th, whilst during Thursday, 
the 9th, this spread over all Scotland, most of Ireland, the six 
Northern Counties of England, and the NAY. corner of Wales. 
Our own official readings were as follows 
8 th, 9 
AM. 
. . . . 30 746. 
6 
P.M. 
. . . . -770. 
9 
P.M. 
. . . . -832. 
9th, 8 
A.M. 
. . . . -977. 
9 
A.M. 
. . . . *984. 
3 
P.M. 
.. ..31 020. 
6 
P.M. 
. . . . 30 987. 
9 
P.M. 
. . . . -989. 
10th, 8 
A.M. 
. . . . -790. 
9 
A.M. 
. . . . *784. 
6 
P.M. 
. . . . *706. 
It will be noted that, at the times when our records are 
made, the height was less than 31 inches, although the 9 p.m. 
reading of the 9tli is only JJo short. But the Rootham School 
recording aneroid shows that, during the afternoon, it had risen 
higher still, the record at 3 o’clock standing more than 0'03 
inch higher than at 9 p.m., so that the barometer actually rose 
to 31 - 02 inches. No absolute record of 31J inches has been 
reported from our Islands, but at Fort William, Invernesshire, 
the reading was 3T098, or only 5 / l0 inch short. 
The nearest record to this was 31’07 inches in 1820, also on 
Jan. 9th, and in Scotland. In South England the highest 
known reading is 30 99 on January 18th, 1882, when the 
barometer here read 30‘89. From 1767 the only other records 
t/ 
above 31 inches have been 3T007 on Dec. 26th, 1778, in 
Banffshire, and 3T046 at the same place on Eeb. 24th, 1808. 
The York records above 30’8, from 1841, are as follows.— 
