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11
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.
I am indebted to the Astronomer Royal, Sir Harold Spencer
Jones, F.R.S., for the following meteorological data for the year
ended December, 1948.
The mean temperature for the year was 51.3° which is 1.6°
higher than the average for 100 years 1841-1940 and brings the
total of consecutive years warmer than average to six. The
highest temperature in the shade was 91' 4°, registered in a Stevenson
screen, on July 28th.
Temperatures exceeding 90° were recorded only on three
consecutive days in an unusually warm spell at the end of July.
March was the second warmest on record.
The lowest temperature was 21.1° which occured on February
22nd. There were 27 days on which the thermometer gave readings
below freezing point, 10 in February, and the rest in January,
October, November and December.
The mean daily horizontal movement of the air was 250 miles.
The greatest daily movement was 723 miles (January 13th); the
greatest hourly movement was 38 miles (January 13th and December
9th), and the greatest wind pressure 36.2 lbs. to the square foot on
March 31st.
The duration of bright sunshine was 1,404.3 hours—slightly
below average. The sunniest day was May 18th when 14.4 hours,
representing 92 per cent of the possible total, were registered.
There were 60 entirely sunless days. A sunny Spring was followed
by almost the least sunny Summer on record.
The total rainfall was 22.702 inches, 1.63 inches below a 100
years average. The greatest daily amount was 1.309 inches on
August 6th. No measurable rain fell during the period of 22 days,
February 23rd to March 15th.