74 
J. HOPKINSON-METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
September. — Rather warm, with a dry atmosphere, an ex¬ 
ceedingly bright sky, and a very small rainfall on very few days. 
The mean night temperature was a little below the average, hut 
the mean day temperature considerably above it, giving a large 
daily range. In most parts of the county no appreciable amount 
of rain fell until the 24th. Unlike the three Summer months, the 
first month of Autumn was a calm and genial one without storms 
and with a fairly equable temperature throughout. 
October. — A warm month, with a dry atmosphere, a rather 
bright sky, and a rainfall rather below the average (for which 
October has a high one), but on more than the usual number of 
days. The excess of temperature was due twice as much to the 
high day temperature as to the high night temperature, the mean 
daily range therefore being considerable. The temperature was 
very variable : at St. Albans in the first half of the month the 
minimum ranged from 36°‘4 on the 4th to 56°‘3 on the 7th, and 
the maximum from 49 0, 4 on the 14th to 70 o, 9 on the 8th, a very 
high reading for so late in the year; and in the second half the 
minimum ranged from 34° • 9 on the 28th to 52 o, 0 on the 25th, and 
the maximum from 48° -6 on the 21st to 61 0, 5 on the 17th. Strong 
westerly winds prevailed for much the greater part of the month. 
November. — Rather warm, with an atmosphere of average 
humidity, a very cloudy sky, and about an average rainfall, but on 
an unusually large number of wet days. The night temperatures 
were rather more above the average than the day temperatures, 
the daily range being smaller than usual. At St. Albans rain fell 
every day but the 2nd, 10th, 18th, 19th, 22nd, 23rd, and 25th, 
but the amount only exceeded a tenth of an inch on seven days and 
never reached half an inch in any one day. 
December.— A very mild month, with an atmosphere of nearly 
the average humidity, a sky of average brightness, and a very 
heavy rainfall on a large number of days. Both the days and the 
nights were about 6° warmer than usual, the mean daily range of 
temperature being about the average. The amount of rain and 
the number of wet days were 50 per cent, above the average for 
the twelve years 1887-98. At St. Albans the only days without 
rain were the 11th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, the 
same number (seven) as in November. There was only one cold 
period, of very short duration, the three days 22nd to 24th, 
the mean temperature of which was at Berkhamsted 33°-7, at 
St. Albans 34°-9, and at Hertford 34 0, 4. These days, although not 
unseasonably cold, thus had a mean temperature about 10° below 
the average of the month. The wind was westerly or south¬ 
westerly almost throughout the month, and on the evening of the 
5th reached the force of a gale. 
