216 
J. H0PEINS0N—METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
August. —Of average temperature, with a very dry atmosphere, 
a very bright sky, and a little less than the average rainfall. 
Nearly half the rain in the month fell on the 30th during a thunder¬ 
storm. The maximum temperature exceeded 85° on the 3rd and 
4th, hut on no other day did it reach 80°. The sun shone on the 
average for about an hour and a quarter a day longer than usual. 
Westerly winds largely prevailed. 
September. —A cold month, of average humidity and cloudiness, 
and with a small rainfall. Days and nights were about equally 
below the average temperature. No appreciable amount of rain 
fell for the eight days 15th to 22nd. The sun shone on the 
average for nearly forty minutes a day longer than usual. The 
direction of the wind was mostly from E. to S. 
October. —A warm month, of average humidity, cloudy, and 
with a very small rainfall. Days and nights were about equally 
above the average temperature. The rainfall was less than half 
the average. No appreciable amount fell for the nine days 7th to 
15th. The duration of sunshine was a little below the average. 
Westerly winds greatly prevailed. 
November. —Rather cold, of about average humidity and cloudi¬ 
ness, and with a small rainfall. The nights were just twice as 
much colder than usual than were the days. The low mean 
temperature was due to the coldness of the week ending 28th, on 
the coldest day of which the maximum temperature only just about 
reached freezing-point (a little below at Rerkhamsted and a little 
above at St. Albans). Snow fell on 23rd, and covered the ground 
to the depth of nearly an inch and a half. The duration of 
sunshine was a little above the average. The wind was almost 
invariably from the west. 
December. —Rather warm, of about average humidity, exceed¬ 
ingly cloudy, and with less than the average rainfall on an 
unusually large number of days. The slight excess of temperature 
over the average was due to the warmth of the nights. The only 
cold period in the month extended over the nine days 19th to 27th, 
and for most of this time thick fogs prevailed. There was about 
an average duration of sunshine. S.W. and W. winds prevailed. 
Mr. Mawley has called attention to the excessive calmness of the 
air during the greater part of the above-mentioned cold period, 
there being an absolute calm for the whole of one day for the first 
time during his Berkhamsted record of nineteen years; this calm 
period being followed on the 30th by the strongest wind experi¬ 
enced there for the last four years, the mean velocity for eight 
hours ending noon being 25 miles an hour. 
