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THE WEATHER IN 1949. MR. R. R. Wilson, of Belstead Hall, supplies the following weather summary for 1949 :—The weather was exceptionally warm, sunny and dry, but wet in the Autumn. Precipitation : T h e total rain for the year was 18.76 ins. (average 1902-41 24-49 ins.). In only three months did the total exceed the average. T h e dry Summer weather of 1949 was accentuated by the dry Autumn and Winter which preceded it. In actual fact at this Station the Summer of 1947 was drier, especially August, viz., May-September rainfall in 1947 was 4.83, and May-September rainfall in 1949 was 6.47. Years with less total rain than 1949 (18.76) were:—1921 (13.64), 1933 (16.83, 1943 (17.28), 1945 (very close 18.52) and 1947 (very close 18.65 ins.). Sunshine : T h e year's total of 1,787 hours is some 200 hours over average 1904-41. Year's with more sun since 1902 were 1904, 1906, 1911 (the highest) and 1921, February and August were the most outstanding totals. Temperature : The mean temperature for 1949 was 51.0 degrees, and it thus joins 1921 and 1945 in being one of the three wärmest years since records began in 1902. Whilst dealing with temperature, September must be mentioned as the most outstanding month. It gave us the highest temperature of the year—90 degrees on the 5th—and the wärmest night of the year (highest screen minimum) 63 degrees on the 24th. It was also the wärmest month of the year, mean temperature 64.3 degrees (average 57.4 degrees). A frost occurred on the grass on June 24th. Total rainfall, 18.76 ins., average 24.49 ins. ; duration, 264.0 (average 469 hours); number of days, 132 ; maximum fall in 24 hours, 1.01 ins. Sunshine: 1,787 hours (average 1.576.0); number of days, 319. Mean temperature 51.0 degrees (average 49.3 degrees); maximum in screen, 90 degrees ; minimum in screen, 19 degrees ; minimum on grass, 14 degrees; lowest maximum, 35 degrees; highest minimum, 63 degrees ; mean temperature at 1 ft., 51.5 degrees ; mean temperature at 4 ft., 51.3 degrees ; number of days over 80 degrees, 19 (cp. 26 in 1947 and 33 in 1911). Rainfall 1940 to 1949. Mr. Frank Burreil, of Fornham St. Martin, Burv St. Edmund's, reports on the rainfall from 1940 to 1949, as follöws:—1940 25.04 ins., 1941 26.01, 1942 28.15, 1943 19.84, 1944 23.91, 1945 25.57, 1946 38.50, 1947 20.35, 1948, 25.55, 1949 17.79. T h e average rainfall for the ten years is 25.08 ins.; 1949 was a very low rainfall and below the average. 1946 an exceptionally heavy rainfall, 38.50 ins. Registering the rainfall for 56 years, the heaviest I registered was in July, 1946, namely 9.66 ins. T h e lowest rainfall was 13.39 ins. for 1921. Rainfall for 1949 : January 1.70 ins., February .89, March .78, April 1.40, May 2.46, June .78, July .52, August 1.32, September 1.36, October 3'47, November 1.56, December 1.55 ; total, 17.79 in. Rainfall for December: Ist .04 ins., 2nd .07, 3rd .05, 5th .06, 7th .33, lOth .05, l l t h .04, 13th .21, 14th, .12, 16th .13, 18th .37, 19th '04, 25th .04. Total, 1.55 ins.