122 
J. HOPKINSON-METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS 
days. As in January and February, both days and nights were 
warm. The temperature was below 32° on four days at both 
Berkhamsted and St. Albans. The duration of sunshine was a little 
shorter than usual. The prevailiug direction of the wind was S.S. W. 
April.— The first cold month in the year, the mean temperature 
being below that of both February and March, with a rather dry 
atmosphere, a skj T of average brightness, and about the average 
rainfall. The low temperature was due almost entirely to the 
coldness of the days, the mean daily range being very small for 
the month. The temperature was below 32° on ten days at 
Berkhamsted and eleven days at St. Albans, all within the thirteen 
days 13th to 25th, the coldest period in the month. The duration 
of sunshine fell short of the average by more than an hour a day. 
The prevailing direction of the wind was W.N.W. The frosty 
nights did much damage to fruit-blossoms. 
May.— An average month in almost all respects, the mean 
temperature being exactly the average, the humidity and cloud 
nearly so, and the rainfall only slightly in excess. The mean 
daily range of temperature was also about the average. The 
duration of sunshine, however, fell short of the average by nearly 
an hour and a quarter a day. The wind came mostly from the 
south-west. There were a few very warm days towards the end 
of the month, the maximum temperature on the 22nd being 76° 
at Berkhamsted and 75°*6 at St. Albans, on the 30th 76° 6 at both 
places, and on the 31st 75° at Berkhamsted and 73° at St. Albans. 
June.— A very cold month, the mean temperature being 4 0, 3 
below the average, with a rather dry atmosphere, a sky of average 
brightness, and an excessive rainfall (nearly three times the 
average), but very few wet days, each having, on the average, 
more than half an inch of rain. The low temperature was chiefly 
due to the coldness of the days. The 1st was a hot day, the 
maximum being 80° at Berkhamsted and 78 0, 6 at St. Albans; 
after this it was only on the last five days that 70° was exceeded, 
the mean temperature of these days being more than 4° higher 
than that of the month (Berkhamsted mean 64°*2, St. Albans 64 0, 9). 
The duration of sunshine was an hour a day less than usual. 
North-easterly winds greatly prevailed, an unusual quarter for a 
summer month. Serious floods were caused by the heavy rain. 
July. —Bather cold, with a rather dry atmosphere, a sky of 
about average brightness, and a heavy rainfall (about 50 per cent, 
above the average). The mean night temperature was slightly 
above the average, the low temperature of the month being entirely 
due to the coldness of the days; the mean daily range was therefore 
smaller than usual. The maximum temperature reached at least 
80° on the 2nd (Berkhamsted 80°, St. Albans 80° 3), 10th (Berk¬ 
hamsted 83°*9, St. Albans 83°*0), and 11th (Berkhamsted 83°, 
St. Albans 82°-3), and 75° on one other day only, the 9th (Berk¬ 
hamsted 77°, St. Albans 75°*7). The sun shone for about three- 
quarters of an hour a day less than usual. The prevailing direction 
of the wind was from the W.S.W. 
