LENDING LIBRARY THE DINES TILTING SYPHON RAIN GAUGE This is the latest type of Self-Recording Rain Gauge, fitted with a tilting arrangement which ensures a complete syphoning when the rain water has filled the float chamber Price and full details upon application HEATH, HICKS & PERKEN (Thermometers) LTD. (associated with W. F. Stanley & Co. Limited) NEW ELTHAM - LONDON, S.E.9 'Phone: ELTHAM 3836 'Grams: "OPTIMUS, SOUPHONE," LONDON r Established 1810 ETEOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENT ANUFACTURERS FOR OVER 140 YEARS During all these years we have supplied instruments to Government Departments and private meteorologists throughout the world, and have earned a reputation for quality and good service which can be rivalled by few. We give below a list of instruments of which early delivery can be made. ANEMOMETERS NEPHOSCOPES ANEMOGRAPHS RAIN GAUGES BAROMETERS RAIN RECORDERS BAROGRAPHS SUNSHINE RECORDERS DEW GAUGES TEMPERATURE RECORDERS EVAPORIMETERS THERMOMETERS HYGROMETERS THERMOMETER SCREENS HUMIDITY RECORDERS WIND VANES Please write for our Catalogue C. F. CASELLA & CO. LTD. REGENT HOUSE, FITZROY SQUARE, LONDON, W.I Telephone: * EUSton 3944 Member Scientific Instrument Manufacturers' Association of Great Britain RELATION OF RAINFALL IN 1953 TO THE AVERAGE OF 1881-1915. AIR MINISTRY, METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE. The area coloured Red had rainfall below the average, that coloured Blue had rainfall above the average. British Rainfall, 1953 ] [ Frontispiece M.M.P. Lrd. VVi.3431-4349 M.O. 588 AIR MINISTRY METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE BRITISH RAINFALL 1953 THE NINETY-THIRD ANNUAL VOLUME OF THE BRITISH RAINFALL ORGANIZATION Report on the Distribution of Rain in space and time over Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the year as recorded by about 5,000 observers WITH MAPS LONDON HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE 1955 Crown Copyright Reserved PUBLISHED BY HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE To be purchased from York House, Kingsway, LONDON, w.c.2 423 Oxford Street, LONDON, w.l P.O. Box 559, LONDON, s.E.l 13a Castle Street, EDINBURGH, 2 109 St. Mary Street, CARDIFF 39 King Street, MANCHESTER, 2 Tower Lane, BRISTOL, 1 2 Edmund Street, BIRMINGHAM, 3 80 Chichester Street, BELFAST or from any Bookseller 1955 Price £1. 5s. Od. net S.O. Code No. 40-10-0-53 * CONTENTS PAGE PAGE PART I PART III 1 THE WORK OF THE BRITISH RAINFALL Heaviest falls on record for each county ORGANIZATION British Rainfall in specified times (2 hours or less). 1953 Local Organizations — The Staff of Observers — Investigations ByJ. Grindley . .215 — River Boards — Inspections — Inquiries — Obituary 1 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 2 DISTRIBUTION OF RAIN IN TIME DAYS WITH RAIN 6 Relation of the Rainfall of 1953 to the 3 DROUGHTS AND DRY SPELLS . 12 average (coloured plate) frontispiece 4 RAIN SPELLS AND WET SPELLS 20 Distribution of Wet-Days in 1953 (map) 7 5 DURATION OF RAINFALL 25 Percentage of the Average in each 6 HEAVY FALLS IN SHORT PERIODS . 32 month in 1953 (12 maps) . 49-60 7 HEAVY FALLS ON RAINFALL DAYS . 38 8 MONTHLY RAINFALL . " . 46 Percentage of the Average in the Seasons 9 SEASONAL RAINFALL 74 10 TOTAL FALL OF RAIN IN 1953 80 Winter Half-Year, 1952-1953 (map) . 74 11 EVAPORATION AND PERCOLATION 84 Summer Half-Year, 1953 (map) . 75 PART H Twelve months, October 1952 September 1953 (map). 76 EXPLANATORY NOTE .... 91 COUNTY INDEX TO GENERAL TABLE 93 Total Rainfall in 1953 (map) 81 GENERAL TABLE: THE RAINFALL OF THE YEAR ..... 94 Divisions used in British Rainfall (map) 90 ui List of Principal Tables TABLE PART I PAGE TABLE PAGE 2A WET-DAYS OVER ENGLAND AND 7A MAXIMUM DAILY FALL AND WALES, 1942-1953 . 8 MAXIMUM PERCENTAGE, 1935- 1953 2B NUMBER OF RAIN-DAYS AND OF ..... 38 WET-DAYS, 1953. (MONTHLY IB LARGEST DAILY RAINFALLS IN 1953 39 AND ANNUAL VALUES AT 82 STATIONS) .... 9 8A GENERAL RAINFALL FOR 1953 MONTHLY AND ANNUAL VALUES 46 3A NUMBER OF DROUGHTS AT STATIONS, 1943-1953 13 SB GENERAL MONTHLY AND ANNUAL AVERAGES OF RAINFALL, 1881- NUMBER OF DRY SPELLS AT 82 1915 ..... 47 STATIONS, 1943-1953 13 8c MONTHLY RAINFALL AT 334 3c PERIODS OF DROUGHTS AND DRY STATIONS, 1953 61 SPELLS AT 82 STATIONS, 1953 . 14 80 MONTHLY RAINFALL IN 1953 AS 4A NUMBER OF RAIN SPELLS AT PERCENTAGE OF AVERAGE (123 82 STATIONS, 1943-1953 21 STATIONS, TOGETHER WITH GENERAL 4B NUMBER OF WET SPELLS AT 82 VALUES) . 70 STATIONS, 1943-1953 21 9A SEASONAL RAINFALL, 1952-1953, 4c RAIN SPELLS AND WET SPELLS AT IN RELATION TO AVERAGE 77 82 STATIONS, 1953 . 22 9B SERIAL VALUES OF SEASONAL RAINFALL 5A DURATION OF RAINFALL, 1953. AS PERCENTAGE OF (MONTHLY AND ANNUAL VALUES AVERAGE .... 79 AT 145 STATIONS) . 27 10A GENERAL RAINFALL 1953 COM­ MEAN RATE OF RAINFALL, 1953. PARED WITH AVERAGE 82 (MONTHLY AND ANNUAL VALUES 10B RAINFALL OF 1953 AT 93 STATIONS AT 15 STATIONS) 31 AS PERCENTAGE OF AVERAGE 83 6A LOWER LIMITS OF INTENSE RAIN­ HA EVAPORATION IN 1953 AT 15 FALLS ..... 32 STATIONS 86 NUMBER OF NOTEWORTHY RAINS HB RAINFALL, PERCOLATION AND OF Two HOURS' DURATION OR INFERRED EVAPORATION, 1953 . 87 LESS, 1953 . 33 1 Ic DRAINAGE GAUGE RECORDS, 1953 88 6c HEAVY FALLS IN SHORT PERIODS IN 1953 ..... 35 PART II 60 NUMBER OF DAYS ON WHICH SPECI­ COUNTY INDEX FIED AMOUNTS OF RAIN FELL IN TO GENERAL TABLE 93 SPECIFIED TIMES, 1953 37 GENERAL TABLE .... 94 w BRITISH RAINFALL 1953 PART I 1 The Work of the British Rainfall Organization "BRITISH RAINFALL 1953." The present Engineer of Kilmarnock, continued the volume is in the same form as that for 1952 collection of records in Ayrshire. and retains the main features of preceding The exchange of information with the volumes, thus enabling comparison to be Director of the Meteorological Service of the made between the rainfall of 1953 and that Irish Republic was continued and also with in earlier years. This comparison is facilitated Captain W. N. McClean. by continuing to number the principal tables according to their sequence in the various THE OBSERVERS. The information on the sections. The series of maps showing rainfall in 1953 presented in this volume is monthly, seasonal and annual percentages of based on the collection of about 5,500 returns average has been continued, the annual map of rainfall received from all parts of the appearing as a coloured plate, wherein the country. Not all of these are included in the scale of tints of blue for more than average General Table (Part II of this volume), the and of red for less than average has also Table being shortened by the omission of been continued. returns from check gauges and of some records which are not complete. Returns are contributed by private persons who measure LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS. Most of the the rainfall primarily as a matter of personal rainfall returns from which this volume has interest, or by public local authorities and been compiled are sent by the observers especially the authorities of water under­ direct to the Meteorological Office, but in takings who find that a knowledge of rain­ some regions there are local organizations fall is essential to them in their work. The who have greatly assisted by collecting rainfall goodwill of the observers who voluntarily returns for forwarding to the Office and by forward copies of their observations for stimulating interest in weather recording. preservation is gratefully acknowledged. Among the officials of such organizations Without their co-operation the compilation there should be mentioned Mr. C. W. Bod- of British Rainfall would not have been dington of the Northamptonshire Natural possible. History Society; Mr. R. S. Copeman of the The total number of records printed in Norfolk Rainfall Organization; the Librarian Part II of this volume is 5,114. As many as North Devon Athenaeum; Mr. E. L. Kelting 364 additional records are included, while 290 of the Somerset River Board; and Mr. D. W. records printed in British Rainfall 1952 have Bogle of the Cornwall Rainfall Association. dropped out of the table. Mr. Robert Burrow, Engineer and Manager The net gain in England was 24, in Wales 1 of the Jersey New Waterworks Company, and in Scotland 49, a total gain of 74. forwarded returns from several stations in Among the additional rainfall records in­ Jersey, and Mr. W. N. McCall, Burgh cluded in this volume the following are of 1 BRITISH RAINFALL 1953 special interest: that maintained by the Super­ since 1943 from Commander E. D. Murston, intending Civil Engineer at the Chatham Royal R.N. (Retd.); at Ipplepen (Old Lime Kiln) Naval Hospital; records from two stations near Newton Abbot maintained since 1946 by near Orford in east Suffolk kept by Sir Peter the late Mr. W. J. Friskney and forwarded by Greenwell, Bart.; at Rosewarne Experimental Mr. R. C. Bater; at Solihull, to the south of Horticultural Station, near Camborne; at Birmingham, since 1946 from the Engineer and Lype Hill, Brendon Hills, by Major R. A. Surveyor; at Sudbury (Waterworks Pumping Archer and an additional record maintained Station) in Suffolk since 1947 from the by Mr. C. H. Archer at Chains Barrow, Borough Surveyor and Waterworks Engineer; Exmoor, which was considered to be a site at Keadby (Pumping Station), west of Scun- likely to be wetter than the other Exmoor thorpe, since 1947 from Mr. Marshal Nixon, stations. A rainfall record received from the Engineer to the Trent River Board; at Great Pershore Institute of Horticulture in the Vale Wyrley near Walsall since 1949 from Mr. R. of Evesham and nineteen new stations in the Sambrook; at Midhurst in Sussex for 1948 Tyne Valley, established by Mr. A. G. and 1950 from Mr. R. Amoore who started McLellan, Engineer and General Manager to the record in 1934; at Patching (Pumping the Sunderland and South Shields Water Station) for 1952 from the Borough Water Company, are included, also one at Garrigill Engineer, Worthing; and at Workington (Coke to the south of Alston, from Mr.