154 
J. HOPKINSON-METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
two or three days were much warmer than the rest, and from the 
4th the maximum temperatures were remarkably equable while 
the minimum varied very greatly; thus there was at St. Albans 
the following succession of minima: 9th 47°-3, 10th 36°*3; 18th 
49°*8, 19th 39 0, 9 ; 21st31°*5, 22nd40°*6; 25th 40°*5, 26th 31°-5 ; 
27th 31°T, 28th 41 0, 4, 29th 50 o, l; while on the same dates the 
maxima were: 57°-l, 56°*6; 56°-l, 57°*0; 51°0, 51°*1; 52°-0, 
52°*1 ; 55°*7, 54°*4, 54°*6; a mean variation from day to day on 
the selected days of 9°’3 in the minimum temperatures and of 
only 0°*5 in the maximum. As in September, there was rather 
less than the average duration of sunshine and the air was very 
calm. The most frequent direction of the wind was from the 
south-west and west. 
November. — A cold month, with a rather dry atmosphere, 
a rather bright sky, and a very small rainfall on a small number 
of days. The low temperature was twice as much due to the 
coldness of the nights as it was to that of the days, the mean daily 
range being rather greater than usual. The temperature varied 
very greatly during the month; thus at St. Albans the mean 
temperatures of succeeding days when the four greatest changes 
occurred were: 7th 38°-5, 8th 46°-8 ; 13th 44°-l, 14th 36°-6 ; 
17th 31°*8, 18th 40°-2, 19th 46°*5, 20th 50°-6; 21st 49°-4, 
22nd 42°-6, 23rd 36°-6. There was rather more sunshine than 
usual, its duration being 2J hours a day against a mean of 2 hours. 
Westerly winds greatly prevailed. 
December. —Rather cold, but within half a degree of the average 
temperature of the month, with an atmosphere of average humidity, 
a little brighter sky than usual, and a very heavy rainfall on the 
average number of days. The mean daily range of temperature 
was about the same as usual. The fortnight from the 15th to 
the 28th was much the coldest part of the month, and the only 
considerable changes in temperature were at the commencement 
and end of this cold period; at St. Albans the mean temperature 
was, on the 14th 38°-2 and 15th 30 o- 9 ; on the 28th 35 0, 8 and 
29th 44°-2. Sunshine, although less than in any month but 
February, was about the average for the month, which is generally 
the least sunny one in the year. South-westerly and westerly 
winds very greatly prevailed. Snow fell on the 9th, 11th, 12th, 
14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, and 24th, on two of these occasions 
to the depth of two inches. This is the wettest December on 
record in Hertfordshire since 1881, except that of 1896 when the 
rainfall was practically the same. 
