Met. 0. 833 METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE British Rainfall Supplement 1961-1965 VOLUME I MET.0.833 BRITISH RAINFALL SUPPLEMENT 1961-1965 CORRECTIONS Page 9: First line of footnote: "Twelve" should read "Eleven" Page 166: Heading: " 1111 2" should read "1111.2" Page 214: Heading: "Mr. C. A. Archer" should read "Mr. C. H. Archer" First line: "Mr. C. A. Archer" should read "Mr. C. H. Archer" Page 220: First column line 19: "Table 1A follows on page . ." should read "Table 1A follows on page 222" Second Column line 4: "appears as Table IB on page . ." should read "appears as Table IB on page 222". Meteorological Office March 1972 LONDON: HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE LONDON: HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE: 1971 .551.501.9:551.577.36:551.577.37:551.579 © Crown copyright 1971 Published by HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE To be purchased from 49 High Holborn, London WC1V 6HB 13a Castle Street, Edinburgh EH2 3AR 109 St Mary Street, Cardiff CF1 1JW Brazennose Street, Manchester M60 8AS 50 Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3DE 258 Broad Street, Birmingham Bl 2HE 80 Chichester Street, Belfast BT1 4JY or through booksellers Printed in England for Her Majesty's Stationery Office by Stephen Austin & Sons Limited, Hertford SBN 11 4001685* Contents Page Introduction 1 Part I Table of rainfall stations Index to division and county map 5 Index to areal grouping of rainfall stations 7 Table of rainfall stations, including 9 Station details Average annual rainfall 1916 1950 Highest daily rainfall First complete year of record River flow measurement stations Part II Rainfall observers 211 Part III Work of the hydrometeorological branch of the Meteorological Office, 1961-1965 215 Part IV Heavy rainfall 219 1 The Bilham classification of heavy falls of rain in short periods 220 2 Summaries of heavy falls of rain on rainfall days 223 Part V Special articles 225 1 The presentation of monthly rainfall. By A. Bleasdale 227 2 Accumulated percentage departures of average rainfall. By P. M. Stephenson 260 111 LIST OF MAPS Part I Page Division used in British Rainfall before 1961 4 Areal grouping of rainfall stations as from 1961 5 PartV Average monthly rainfall expressed as a percentage of average annual rainfall for the standard periods 1916-1950 and 1881-1915 (24 maps) 232 Average seasonal rainfall expressed as a percentage of annual average, 1916-1950 (4 maps) 256 LIST OF GRAPHS Part IV Bilham classification curves for heavy falls of rain in short periods 221 PartV Accumulated percentage departures of average rainfall (6 graphs) 260 LIST OF TABLES Parti Five-year table of rainfall stations with river flow measurement stations 9 Part IV Table 1A Lower limits of intense rainfalls used in the Bilham classification of heavy falls in short periods 222 1B Computed amounts of rain falling in stated times based on Bilham's formula 222 2A Highest daily fall and highest percentage fall for each year, 1961-1965 223 2B High daily falls for each year, 1961-1965 224 2C Falls on rainfall days, reaching or exceeding 7 inches, 1865-1965 224 IV Introduction This is the first of the supplements to British Rainfall for the station. The reference quoted is that foreshadowed in the volume for 1961. Much of the applicable at the end of 1965 or at the closure information given in the Table of Rainfall Stations in of the station if the record terminated before Part I of this supplement was published prior to the that time. Occasions will arise when a 1961 edition in the General Table of Rainfall of the reference quoted may differ from what is annual volumes of British Rainfall. Its exclusion from shown in the annual volumes of British Rain­ the annual volumes has enabled more detailed rainfall fall for the earlier years covered by this data to be given in the General Table of Rainfall, supplement, but the difference is small and including monthly as well as annual totals, also the insufficient to have necessitated a change in wettest day of the year for stations making daily station number or to have had effect on the readings. continuity of the record. The Table of Rainfall Stations lists all rainfall Column 5. Station altitude. Rainfall station altitudes stations for which at least one complete year of data has are given to the nearest 10 feet; R.F.M. been published in a volume of British Rainfall during station altitudes to the nearest foot. Heights the period 1961-1965. River flow measurement of the Northern Ireland stations refer to the (R.F.M.) stations are included in their appropriate Belfast datum introduced on 1.1.64. positions and in some cases it has been possible to give Column 6. The average annual rainfall, 1916-1950, average annual general rainfall over the areas draining for the station to the nearest tenth of an down to the R.F.M. stations. The stations are arranged inch. in the order used in British Rainfall from 1961 whereby Column 7. The largest fall in a day for the station if they are grouped within hydrometric areas. Previous to daily records are maintained. This inform­ 1961 it was customary to use county divisions for the ation is at present only available for a few purpose of grouping. The change is explained briefly in stations in Great Britain, but it is hoped that the introduction to British Rainfall 1961. Maps (with more complete information will have been indexes) depicting the two forms of divisions just extracted for inclusion in the next supple­ mentioned are included in Part 1 of this volume. ment. In the case of Northern Ireland the The main headings in the table give the River extraction is complete. The column is also Authorities, Conservancies, Purification Boards and used for stating in square miles the drainage groups of Hydrometric Areas, and, where River Boards areas down to the R.F.M. stations. were combined in April 1965 to make one River Column 8. The first complete year of the record. It Authority, the sub-divisions showing the original River does not follow that the record is homoge­ Boards are also given. The Hydrometric Area numbers neous from the commencement, that it is listed by the Water Resources Board in the Surface complete for all years or that the information Water Year Book are given at the head of each major given in column 2 applies throughout. The division. Each major division starts on a new page and hydrometeorological branch of the Meteoro­ a blank space is left at the end of each division for logical Office should be approached for notes and manuscript additions to be made during the more detailed information concerning the five years before the next supplement is published. reliability and continuity of records. The table contains the following information: Column 1. Serial number of the station with its county prefix. Parts II, III and IV of the supplement contain other Column 2. Station name-many names having been information given in annual volumes of British Rainfall abbreviated since 1960 but some link with prior to the 1961 edition. Part II gives the obituary the old name remains. This column also notices of those voluntary rainfall observers who have gives the name of the river sub-heading. co-operated with the Office for 35 years or more, while 'C inserted in this column indicates a Part III gives a brief summary of the work of the hydro- climatological station, 'R' that the station meteorological branch during the 'period 1961-1965. also maintains a recording raingauge and Part IV contains tables and diagrams from E. G. Bilham's 'M' that monthly or weekly ^readings are paper "The classification of heavy falls of rain in short made. The absence of any indicator suggests periods" which was originally published in the 1935 that rainfall is measured daily but this is no volume of British Rainfall. Also presented in this part guarantee of regular daily readings, or that of the supplement are tabulations of heavy daily rain­ this has been so throughout the whole falls for each of the five years. The tables are presented record. Prior to 1860 all records are on similar lines to those contained in British Rainfall monthly, most having been extracted from prior to the 1961 edition. the transactions of some learned society. Special articles such as "The presentation of monthly Column 3. The last known authority for the station. rainfall" by A. Bleasdale, contained in the present Column 4. The National, Irish or Universal Trans­ volume, will appear from time to time in Part V of the verse Mercator (Zone 30U), grid reference supplements. BRITISH RAINFALL SUPPLEMENT 1961-1965 Parti Table of Rainfall Stations DIVISIONS USED IN BRITISH RAINFALL before 1961 Division Boundaries County Boundaries KILOMETRES O 2O 4O faO 8O IOO I2O I<O IbO O 10 2O 30 <0 50 6O 7O 80 9O IOO STATUTE MILES INDEX TO DIVISION AND COUNTY MAP (Areal station grouping formerly in use) ENGLAND AND WALES Brecknockshire 51 Radnorshire .. 52 I LONDON 01 Montgomeryshire 53 II SOUTH-EASTERN COUNTIES Flintshire 54 Surrey 02 Denbighshire . 55 Kent 03 Merionethshire 56 Sussex 04 Caernarvonshire 57 Hampshire 05 Anglesey 58 Berkshire 06 Isle of Man 59 Channel Islands 60 ill SOUTH MIDLAND COUNTIES Middlesex 07 SCOTLAND Hertfordshire 08 XII SOUTHERN COUNTIES Buckinghamshire 09 Wigtownshire 61 Oxfordshire 10 Kirkcudbrightshire . 62 Northamptonshire 11 Dumfriesshire 63 Huntingdonshire 12 Roxburghshire 64 Bedfordshire 13 Cambridgeshire 14 XIII SOUTH-EASTERN COUNTIES IV EASTERN COUNTIES Selkirkshire 65 Essex 15 Peeblesshire 66 Suffolk 16 Berwickshire 67 Norfolk 17 East Lothian 68 Midlothian 69 V SOUTH-WESTERN COUNTIES West Lothian 70 Wiltshire 18 Dorset 19 XIV SOUTH-WESTERN COUNTIES South Devonshire 20 Lanarkshire 71 North Devonshire 21 Ayrshire 72 Cornwall 22 Renfrewshire 73 Somerset 23 XV WEST MIDLAND COUNTIES VI WEST MIDLAND COUNTIES Dunbartonshire 74 Gloucestershire 24 Stirlingshire 75 Herefordshire 25 Buteshire 76 Shropshire 26 Argyllshire 77 Staffordshire 27 Worcestershire 28 XVI EAST MIDLAND COUNTIES Warwickshire 29 Clackmannanshire 78 Kinross-shire 79 VII NORTH MIDLAND COUNTIES Fifeshire 80 Leicestershire 30 Rutland Perthshire 81 31 Angus 82 Lincolnshire 32 Nottinghamshire 33 XVII NORTH-EASTERN COUNTIES Derbyshire 34 Kincardineshire 83 VIII NORTH-WESTERN COUNTIES Aberdeenshire 84 Cheshire 35 Banff shire 85 South Lancashire 36 Moray shire 86 Central Lancashire .