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II. 
REPORT ON THE RAINFALL IN HERTFORDSHIRE IN THE 
YEAR 1900. 
By John Hopkinson, E.L.S., E.G.S., E.R.Met.Soc., Assoc.Inst.C.E. 
There are several alterations in our staff of observers for the year 
1900. Three rainfall stations have been discontinued—Bancroft, 
Hitchin, and The Grange, St. Albans, owing to the observers 
having removed, and King’s Langley owing to the death of 
the observer, Mr. Isaac Butler; there is no return from Hamels 
Park owing to the illness of the observer; and the returns from 
Chipperfield and St. Albans Hoad, Watford, are omitted from the 
principal table, the records being imperfect. Against these six 
losses, some of which may be only temporary, there are five 
additions—Preston, south of Hitchin; Bulbourne and Cowroast, 
former stations reinstated; the Hertfordshire County Museum, 
St. Albans, whence the gauge formerly at The Grange, St. Albans, 
was removed early in the year; and Northaw. The St. Albans 
record may be considered practically a continuous one, the stations 
being very near to each other, and there being only a few feet 
difference in the altitude. The gauge at Northaw is in a hitherto 
unrepresented district in the catchment-basin of the Lea. 
The result of these alterations is that the principal table contains 
the records of 44 stations, being one less than in the year 1899, 
and the same number as in 1897. The number of daily records 
received is 32, being one less than that for 1899. 
Particulars of the 44 rainfall stations, and the monthly and total 
rainfall and number of days of rain in 1900, are given in Tables 
I and II, pp. 35-37. 
The symbols in the last column of Table I show the method by 
which the height of each gauge has been determined, TfT signifying 
that a series of levels has been taken to the gauge from an Ordnance 
bench-mark, T that the height has been ascertained approximately 
from the same source, L that levels have been taken to the gauge 
from some datum other than Ordnance mean sea-level, and B that 
the height has been taken by the barometer. 
A supplementary table (Table III, p. 38) gives nine other 
records of the total rainfall in the year. Two are the records of 
additional gauges at Hothamsted, one is that of an additional 
gauge at Odsey, two are the returns from Chipperfield and 
St. Albans Hoad, Watford, omitted from the principal table, and 
four are from ‘British Rainfall, 1900.’ 
The mean rainfall in the county in the year 1900 was 25*95 inches. 
This is 1*17 inch above the average for the decade 1890-99, and 
0*20 inch below that for the 60 years 1840-99. The year may 
therefore be considered to have been one of about average rainfall. 
VOL. XI.—PART II. 
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