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the Heath. The monthly totals varied from 0.37 in. in March to 4.36
in. in November. Measurable precipitation (i.e., rain, snow, hail, dew.
and deposit from wet fog or rime) was found in the standard gauge
on 183 days—two more than the average. The trace of the hyetograph
showed that the total duration of rain, snow and hail falling at
the rate of 0.004 in. or more per hour was 587.2 hours, or about 3½
weeks. For the third year in succession the wettest day failed to yield
so much as an inch of rain, or its equivalent, the maximum measurement
being 0.88 in. on November 7th.
In spite of the fact that nine of the twelve months gave a
deficiency, the aggregate duration of sunshine for 1935, 1,495.2 hours,
was in excess of the 25-year average by 16.9 hours. This small surplus
was due to a notably brilliant July, which contributed 280.3 sunny
hours—90 hours more than usual. The best daily record of the year
was 14.5 hours, on June 24th. Days that were wholly sunless
numbered 74—one fewer than the normal.
Snow was noted on 25 days (two of them in May), and covered
the ground at 9 a.m. on six days. The fall of four to five inches on
the night of January 26th-27th was the heaviest since the Christmas
blizzard of 1927. Hail occurred on four days, and thunderstorms, or
thunder alone, on 12. The worst gale of 1935, on the night of September
16th-17th, gave an extreme wind-speed estimated at over 70
miles an hour, and did extensive minor damage in the district. Fog
developed in varying degrees of density and persistency on 37 days
during the year. The number of nights with ground-frost was 144.
VITAL STATISTICS.
Population.
For the purpose of this Report the Registrar-General's estimate
of the population at the middle of 1935, which was calculated to have
been 90,600, has been adopted. This shows an increase of 1,653, as
compared with 88,947 at Census, 1931.