button to main menu  British Rainfall 1896, p.22

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British Rainfall 1896 page 22
inclusive, was extraordinarily small,* scarcely 80 per cent. of the average.
XI. BB. - When, at the end of 1864, Mr. Fletcher recommenced observations at The Stye, the old gauge (XI. AA) had probably disappeared; because Mr. Wilson assures us that what is now known as XI. A "has always been in the same position," and he places it N.W. of B. Had even the ruins of the old gauge been seen by Mr. Fletcher, he would doubtless have placeed (sic) the new one on the identical spot. The erection of this gauge was nearly concurrent with the advent of two of the wettest years in the Lake District, and we consequently see totals exceeding 200 inches, viz.:-
1866 ...224.56in.1872 ...243.98in.1882 ...202.50in.
1868 ...207.49in.1877 ...235.52in.1890 ...202.05in.
The average given by this gauge is 179 inches; if the fluctuation of rainfall at that wet station is similar to that usual in England, we can compute the probable fall in the driest and in the wettest year, and see how nearly the extremes have been approached -
Theory.Fact and Date.
Gauge AADriest year99in.99.16in. in 1855
Gauge BBWettest year260in.243.98in. in 1872
It is therefore extremely improbable that there will ever be a drier year than 1855, but is likely that the great fall of more than 240 inches (20 feet; 6,197 millimetres) will be exceeded.
XI. CC. - Knowing of the uncertainty as to the indication of snow by the pattern of gauge XI. BB, we induced Mr. Maitland in 1879 to put down one of the large 8-inch float gauges (Fig. V. facing p.22 of British Rainfall, 1895), it did not work well, and was very troublesome in frost, but on the whole it gave rather more than XI. BB; its mean was 184 inches, and its position is believed to have been near XI. B.
XI. DD. - This was fixed in 1885 in order to see whether the fall increased or decreased south-eastward; it has collected less in every year until 1896. We are not sure that this gauge has always been in the same position; we rather fear that there may have been some confusion when, at the end of 1895, two additional gauges were erected. We always regarded this gauge as occupying the position now occupied by XI. D, but according to Mr. Wilson it was at XI. B. However, it shows a decrease to the S.E.; and as regards
* See British Rainfall 1867, p.18, and British Rainfall 1895, p.25; which shows the mean ratio for those years to be only 83 per cent.
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