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25
Meteorology.— The temperature was by no means high, as on
two days only a temperature of above 82.0 deg. was reached, and
that the mean of all the highest was only 69.4 deg. against a mean
of the minimum of 39.8 deg., giving a mean range of 29.6 deg.,
and an absolute range of 64.4 deg. The mean temperature was
47.9 deg. The total rainfall, 25.83 inches, which fell on 176 days.
In January it was very dry and cold, with frequent fog and snow,
and a very large death rate at those periods when snow and fog
prevailed. The temperature was 15 to 18 deg , on some days
below the average. In February, which was dry and foggy at
times, there was a little snow, but altogether only a little rain.
March at first was pleasant, and then became cold and stormy.
The snow was heavy at times and blocked several lines. The mean
temperature for January was 34.3 deg., of February 38.5 deg., and
of March 40.4 deg. April was dry and cold throughout, as the
temperature was below the average on almost every day. May was
changeable, generally cold and unseasonable, the temperature was
below the average until the 10th, when wanner weather set in, but
on the 13th a frost occurred nearly all over England, and the day
temperature did not rise to 56 deg. There was also a gale of snow
on the 15th to 18th in many parts of the country. In London the
mean temperature was below the average for nearly six weeks,
viz., from April 1st to May 6th. it then became warmer, then cold,
especially from the 16th to the 25th, when the deficiency on the
average was nearly 12 deg. During the remainder of May and in
June it was mostly cold. The mean temperature of May was
503 deg., which was the lowest for 120 years. The mean temperature
for April, May and June was 44.2, 50.3 and 60.4 deg. The
rain for the quarter was 4.37 inches, which was nearly 1½ inches
below the average.
In July and August dull, cold and unsettled weather prevailed
as in the former mouths no approach to that of an ordinary, but in
September fine, when the average temperature was 2½ above the
average in July and August, it having been 1.4 deg., in the latter
month 2.3 deg. From the summary of the weather it was evident