METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Southland Times, Volume III, Issue 197, 3 January 1866, Page 3

METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Novembeb, 1865. Last month I insinuated an apology for the " sensational " character of my reports, and foi the frequent occurrence of " extraordinary " and unprecedented" weather, hoping that the next month would quietly glide by, undisturbed by these remarkable phenomena, which, however interesting to the meteorologist, are truly distressing to the unfortunate and unappreciafcing pubhc. But November has been as fertile as its predecessors in meteorological peculiarities.' Ifc commenced wifch six days' rain • then came an interval — a blessed interval — of fine weather, which actually lasted a whole week ! On the 11th, although the sky was cloudless, a pefect hurricane was blowing from the W.N.W. The foUowing morning, the temperature decreased to 40 deg., and then rose to 81*4 deg. in the shade, and 110 deg. in the sun. Thafc night ifc fell no lower than 63 deg., and on the 13fch, afc noon, again read 81 deg. The wind then suddenly changed ; the thermometer fell no less than 30 degrees in the course of an hour, and rain poured in torrents until an inch and a-half was registered. During the remainder of the month, there was almost incessant heavy rain. On the 24th occurred the great storm, which I fully described in a former number. T find that the correctness of my assertion, that "it was the severest gale yet experienced here," is generally questioned, the preponderance of opinion giving the palm for violence to the tempest of Feb. 1, 1864. No doubt the latter was in many cases more severely felt, the direction being S.W., while thafc of the November gale was W.N.W., a quarter from which Invereargdl is better sheltered; but the actual force of the wind was greater on the 24th of November than at any time during the last seven years. In short, was " unprecedented." - The relative humidity of the 12th was the least hitherto recorded — only *37. The mean barometrical pressure was 29*536 inches ; the highest reading 30"14 inches on the 7th ; the lowest, 25"85 inches on the 24th. The barometer was above 30 inches on four days in the month, and below 29 inches on one day. The mean temperature of the air was 52*7 deg., nearly six degrees below the average of eight years. The highest day temperature was 81*4 deg. on the 12th and 13th ; the lowest night temperature 33*7 deg. on the 29th ; the total range of temperature during the month was therefore 47*7 degrees. The mean degree of atmospheric humidity was *64, saturation being represented by 100, which was not approached more closely than *87 ; the minimum was *37 on the 12 th. Solar radiation was greatest on the 12th, when the black-bulb thermometer read 110 deg. — 29 deg. above the air maximum ; the minnmnn reading ofthe terrestrialradiation thermometer was 288 deg. on the 29th. The amount of evaporation was 4*046 inches ; less than half the precipitation. The mean temperature of evaporation was 467 deg., and of the dew-point 40 2 deg. The mean elastic force of the aqueous vapour in the atmosphere was *257 inch. The mean amount of cloud was *66, — I*oo representing total observation. 'Ihe general direction of the wind was W. to N.W. ;; the mean force (*1 12.)-6.

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