BRITISH RAINFALL, 1890. LONDON : G. .SHIELD, PHINTIill, SLOANE SQUARE, CHIiLSEA, 1891. DEPfH OF RAIN, JULY \r? 1890. SCALE 0 b 10 Miles 0 5 10 15 20 Kilom RAINFALL 2. in. and above O M l> n BRITISH RAINFALL,A 4890.., ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF RAIN OVER THE BRITISH ISLES, DURING THE YEAR 1890, AS OBSERVED AT NEARLY 3000 STATIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, WITH ARTICLES UPON VARIOUS BRANCHES OF RAINFALL WORK. COMPILED BY G. J. SYMONS, F.E.S., CHEVALIER DE LA LEGION D'HONNEUR, Secretary Royal Meteorological Society; Membredu Gonseil Societe Meteor ologique de France; Member Scottish Meteorological Society; Korrespondirendes Mitgleid Dtutsche Meteorologische Qesellschaft ; Registrar of Sanitary Institute ; Fellow Royal Colonial Institute ; Membre correspondant etranger Soc. Royale de Publique de Belgique, $c. fyc. cj'c.. AND H. SOWERBY WALLIS, F.R.MetSoc. LONDON: EDWARD STANFORD, COCKSPUR STREET, S.W. 1891. CONTENTS. PAGE PREFACE ... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... ... 7 REPORT—GENERAL OFFICE WORK—ENQUIRY AFTER OTHER OBSERVERS— OLD OBSERVATION Boons—RAINFALL RULES—SELF-RECORDING GAUGES—DAYS WITH RATN—FINANCE ... ... ... ... ... .. ... 8 ON THE AMOUNT OF EVAPORATION .. ... ... .. ... ... ... ... 17 THE CAMDEN SQUARE EVAPORATION EXPERIMENTS ... ... ... ... ... 30 ON THE FLUCTUATION IN THE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL ... ... ... ... ... 32 ROTHERHAM EXPERIMENTAL GAUGES .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3~> RAINFALL AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, GREENWICH ... .. ... ... 37 THE STAFF OF OBSERVERS ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 38 OBITUARY ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 54 RAINFALL AND METEOROLOGY OF 1890. ON THE METEOROLOGY OF 1890, WITH NOTES ON SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL PHENOMENA ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... [ 3 ] OBSERVERS' NOTES ox THE MONTHS OF 1890 ... ... ... .., ... ... [ 35] OBSERVERS' NOTES ON THE YEAR 1890 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [ 70] HEAVY RAIN* IN SHORT PERIODS IN 1890... ... ... ... .. ... ... [ 99] HEAVY FALLS IN 24 HOURS IN 1890 ... ... ... ... .. ... ... ... [102] DROUGHTS IN 1890 ... ... ... ... .. .. ... ... ... ... ... ... [115] MONTHLY RAINFALL OF 1890 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [117] TABLES OF MONTHLY RAINFALL AT 233 STATIONS IN 1890 ... ... ... [118] ON THE RELATION OF THE TOTAL RAINFALL IN 1890 TO THE AVERAGE ... [128] COMPARISON OF THE RAINFALL OF THE YEAR 1890 WITH THE AVERAGE OF THE YEARS 1880-89 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [130] EXTREMES OF RAINFALL IN 1890 ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [134] GENERAL TABLES OF TOTAL RAINFALL. EXPLANATION OF THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE GENERAL TABLES ... ... [136] COUNTY INDEX TO GENERAL TABLES ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... [137] ILLUSTRATIONS. MAP OF RAINFALL ON JULY 17TH, 1890 ... ... ... ... ... ... Frontispiece. EVAPORATOR ... ... • ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• P- 23 DIAGRAM OF FLUCTUATION OF RAINFALL IN VARIOUS DECADES ... p. 32 DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATIVE OF HEAVY RAINS IN SHORT PERIODS ... p. [100] MAPS OF MONTHLY RAINFALL IN 1890 ... ... ... ... letveen pp. [126]—[127] MAP OK ANNUAL RAINFALL IN 1890 ... ... ... ... ... ... face ji. [128] ERRATA IN BRITISH RAINFALL 1889. Page 35. 1876, August, for 29'4 read 2'94. ,, [51} Div. V., Babbacombe,/or "high " read "light." ,, [63]. Last line but one, for 57 read 5. ,, [ 95]. May, line 3, for " three" read " two." ,,[113]. Sheppey, Greenborough. Return incorrect. ,,[114]. Brighton, Prestonville Road. Second gauge incorrect. ,, [125]. Trowbridge, Lovemead, should be Dr. G. Tayler. ,, [130]. Bristol, Redlands,/or 29'53 read 29'53? ,, [132]. Market Drayton, Buntingsdale, for 31'48 read 26-48. ,, [135]. Grantham (Heydour). Return incorrect. ,, [165]. Loch Drome. Height 7 in. not 7 ft. ,, [171]. Belfast (Divis Mountain). Return incorrect. BRITISH RAINFALL, 1890. I AM always trying to get this volume out earlier in the year ; but, with my present staff, it is impossible ; and even if I had additional help, it could not be issued before June, if as at present, the values in it are to be checked against the returns sent in to the various meteorological centres in the United Kingdom. Holding, as I do, that the first essential is the highest possible degree of accuracy, it would, I think, be unwise to issue the volume until all comparisons reasonably practicable had been made, and all chances of detecting error exhausted. The only important alteration in the volume is that due to the completion of the decade 1880-89, which has enabled us to use the average for that period as a basis of comparison ; its relation to the average for a half-century is considered in the early part of the volume. Attention may also be called to the article on the evaporation from soil, and to the details of the great rain of July 17th. G. J. SIMONS. 62, CAMDKN SQUARE. LONDON, N.W. July Uh, 1891. 11 EL'OUT. General Office Work. —The contrast between what this is now, and what it was thirty years ago, is most striking. Even twenty years back it was not a quarter what it is now. Then I had no assistance, except that from members of my family, who have now passed away. None of the county organizations had been started, the Royal Meteorological bociety had no stations, and the Meteoro­ logical Office had very fe\v, consequently the checking and comparing of the returns as sent to me, with those published elsewhere, was a very small matter. At that time monthly returns were received and verified from about 70 stations only, of which 50 were printed in the Meteorological Magazine; we now receive about 300 per month, of which about half are regularly inserted in the Met. Mag. The total number of annual returns then dealt with was 1,504, it is now nearly double that. Of the 1,504, only 752, or exactly 50 per­ cent., reported the max. fall in the year. For 1890 we have this datum from 2,081 stations, or just 75 per cent, of the total number. It was not until 1872 that I began collecting records of the daily fall throughout the year, except from the stations which reported at the end of each month—previous to that I had the monthly totals only. The daily sheets contain, on an average, about 160 entries, and every sheet that comes in (as is the rule with every return, be it what it may) is re-cast in order to search for errors ; of these forms we have received for 1890, 1,302, this alone gives 15.624 columns to be added up, and as every error detected is referred to the observer, the correspondence on this one subject is a serious matter. Therefore, while the number of records is doubled, the returns also are in greater detail, thus that part of the work is at least three times as heavy as it was. And naturally the correspon­ dence and the organizing work have similarly developed; and, although merely a collateral matter, the spread of meteorological observations and organizations all over the world renders a careful watch upon meteorological literature indispensable, if our organiza­ tions is to be kept, as I wish it to be, the most nearly perfect that there is. Foreign, as well as English instruments must be procured and tested, which involves the expenditure of much labour and some money. It is needless to dwell on the thousands of forms issued, received, checked and copied; those accustomed to statistical work will understand the labour involved in producing a book with so many figures as this, and with so few errors as those given on a preceding page, with reference to its immediate predecessor. Obvi­ ously I cannot do all this myself, and I am glad to acknowledge how much I owe to Mr. Sowerby Wallis, who has now been helping me for nearly twenty years, working as those only do whose hearts are in their work, until he is as familiar with the routine and details as I am. And that is why in this, my thirtieth annual issue, I have asked him to let me put his name along with mine on the title-page. We have also one junior assistant, and yet have to obtain some out­ side help, so that altogether the staff is growing almost proportion­ ately to the work. Enquiry after other Observers.—In looking back at the 1871 volume, I noticed the above heading, and I reproduce it because now, as then, there is need for it. I cannot induce all my corres­ pondents to be as sharp in looking out for recruits as is necessary. They look at the volume and, if they think at all about other observers, they reason somewhat thus, " Oh ! Symons has some thousands of correspondents; he cannot want any more." If I could place all my correspondents over the British Isles as one could place chessmen on a board, and if observers never removed, became ill, or died, I think that 3,000 would do; but as the British Isles contain upwards of 120,000 square miles, each observer would find himself six miles from his nearest neighbour, a space wide enough for many a hailstorm to slip through unrecorded. Of course no such distribution is possible. We have usually about fifty deaths per annum, and a total of about 150 absent returns. To keep our staff where it is (without allowing for progress) these 150 must be annually replaced. Will all who read this make sure that everyone, whom he or she knows to be making good observations, is sending me a copy of them ? If the name does not appear in the General Tables, it would be very little trouble to send it on a post card, and then I could apply direct to the new observer. Old Observation Books.—These are very often destroyed— sometimes by the observers themselves, sometimes by their descend­ ants ; this is a pity, it is much better to send them either here, or to b 10 the Royal Meteorological Society, for examination and preservation. Many and many are the years of observations which have been destroyed as waste paper by those who knew no better. Rainfall Rules.—Although I reprint these rules in each succeed­ ing volume, I am sorry to say that not a year passes without proof that some observers have either never read them, or forgotten them.