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A "Waterie Sun ", the sun shines very bright and appears to be shining through water, this is probably due to the moisture content of the upper air. This sign and forecast is for rain and is fairly accurate. 6. Half-tidy owd burrah round owd moon, oi rechon we sharnt git nun thow. The " Burrow around Moon ", the halo caused by a thin sheet of whitish cloud 'Cirro-stratus' and the moon's reflections. This sign and forecast is widely known by the following lines :— Near burrow far rain. Far burrow near rain. The accuracy of this readers will be better able to judge from their own observations. The following is taken from " On the Agriculture of Suffolk " by W. and H. Raynbird. Longman and Co., London, 1849. "Noah's Ark Clouds in an arkite form, or like a large boat turned bottom upwards appearing when the sky is for most part clear, and sometimes spread extensively on the heavens. It is believed among us that such a cloud immediately preceded and prefigured the deluge, and we still confidently expect rain on its appearance." Names of cloud formations are taken from. " Climate and the British Scene ", by Gordon Manly. New Naturalist Series. Collins, London, 1952. HENRY J. BOREHAM, February, 1955.
WEATHER
REPORT
JULY, 1954—MARCH, 1955 JULY, 1954.—Extremely unsettled and wet weather obtained practically throughout the month. There were onlyfivedays on which rain did not fall. The number of days with measurable rain was 19. Perhaps the most outstanding features were the mean temperature and the sunshine total. The former was 58.9° (av. 61.3°) the lowest since 1922 and the latter was 123.5 hours (av. 198) the lowest since 1919. An interesting point was, that at the observing hour, on every day the wind was from a direction between S. and N.W. The rainfall total was 2.75 ins. (av. 2.35).
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AUGUST.—Here very little improvement occurred until the 25th, apart from four dry days with slight sunshine at the beginning of the month. T h e rainfall was 3.21 ins. (av. 2.28) and the sunshine 128 hours (av. 184). Thunderstorms were quite frequent. It was the coldest since 1941 and the sun total the lowest in the available records. The few summer days that really occurred were from 25th—(2nd September). T h e maximum temp. of the summer was attained on the 31st with 79°. On no day in 1954 did the temperature reach 80° at this Station. SEPTEMBER.—Here the quantity of the rainfall decreased but not the frequency ; (19 days) the month, in fact was on the drier side—rain total of 1.22 (av. 1.82). Sunshine was better, up to the average—154 hours. Temperature was low the mean being 55.2° against an average 1902-41 of 57.4°. OCTOBER.—Frequently one of the wet months this proved to be not only fairly on the dry side (rain again frequent however—17 days) but also warmer than usual with mean temperature nearly 4° above the average and the highest since 1921. The total rain was 1.78 ins. (av. 2.47). NOVEMBER.—Dull and wet weather was predominant. Rainfall 3.63 ins. (av. 2.49). Sunshine 47.2 (av. 63.5 hrs.). Mean temperature 44.8° a degree or so above the average. DECEMBER.—Mainly dry apart from the period 8th to 13th. Thunderstorms and gales on the 8th-9th, with heavy rain and hail. Sunshine was rather in excess of the normal. Mean temperature about 3° high. Rain fall total 1.95 (av. 2.43 ins.). Ground frosts on 14 nights. JANUARY, 1955.—Wintry weather obtained over a large part of the month, but daytime temperatures generally exceeded freezing point. The coldest night was 19th-20th, when the air temperature feil to 14°F and the grass minimum thermometer, exposed over the snow, feil to 2°F. After the 20th temperatures were a little higher, but mild air did not really penetrate to Eastern districts until the 28th. T h e total precipiation amounted to 1.90 ins. It was the coldest January since 1945. Sunshine was very low at 32.1 hours (the same as in 1953) the previous low reading was in 1945 with 31 hours. FEBRUARY.—Very wet weather occurred for the first nine days, with a rather cold westerly type of weather. Thereafter conditions became very wintry again with arctic air being introduced. The conditions remained cold with sleet and snow at times for the remainder of the month. A change to Continental air took place on the 2Ist which lowered day temperatures to a degree or so above freezing. Actual falls of snow were not heavy throughout
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WEATHER REPORT
the cold part of the north. It was the coldest since 1947 although in no way whatever comparable with that notable winter. Sunshine was close to the average. Rainfall was above the average at 2.10 ins. MARCH.—Rather changeable weather—predominantly windy— persisted until the 22nd when a short mild spell gave daytime maximum in the middle and higher 50°s. Cold weather returned on the 27th though with only short wintry precipitations. T h e last night of the month 30th-31st produced a screen maximum temperature of 23° and a gross minimum of 9°. Frosts occurred on the grass on 25 nights. T h e mean temperature of 37.6° and gave us the coldest March since 1917. Rainfall was below the average at 1.21 ins. and the sunshine nearly 30 hours above the normal. R. R.
WILSON.