[Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Cork County Borough.

  • Cork (Ireland). County Borough Council.
Date:
1953
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1953] / Medical Officer of Health, Cork County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    113/128 (page 107)
    REMARKS : 1953 brought us a splendid March, remarkable for the number of cold foggy mornings and evenings and tho delightful sunshine which dispersed the fog for many hours most days. The anti-cyclone of previous weeks continued uninterrupted for the first four weeks of the month. With the exception of an inch of rain which fell between the 7th and 9th February and half an inch of rain between the 2nd and 4th January, there has been no rain of any significance this year. Our normal rainfall for January, February and March is just over 10 inches—in 1953 it has amounted to 3.2 inches. Coming after the very low rainfall of 1952, this is a very serious position : the level of springs, wells, lakes and streams is dangerously low and the showers which fell at the close of March were most urgently needed to relieve drought conditions. The weather throughout the month was ideal for the preparation of seed beds and for spring sowings. April : BAROMETER : Highest 30.47 on the 15th Lowest 29.48 ,, ,, 27th Mean for the Month 30.00 THERMOMETER : Highest 66QF on the 23rd Lowest 28CF ,, ,, 3rd and 8th Mean for the Month 45.6 SUNSHINE : 195.7 hours which is 37.7 hours above average, RAINFALL : 3-56 which is 1.19 above average. WINDS : Variable, and mainly light, but worked up to gale force on the night of the lOth/llth. REMARKS : The first five days of April were broken, with a sudden cold spell, and heavy showers of rain, sleet and hail, followed by warmer days with bright sunshine and ground frosts at night. Strong wind from the South brought another inch of rain between the 10th and 11th and then a delightful anti-cyclone set in with bright sunshine, light winds and spring weather at its best. Heavy rain on the 30th amounted to over an inch, bringing April’s total higher than in any year since 1937. Following the remarkably dry winter and early spring, this rainfall was of very great benefit to the country, and its effects were immediately visible in plant development. May : BAROMETER : Highest 30.63 on the 28th Lowest 29.44 „ „ 15th Mean for the Month 30.19 THERMOMETER : RAINFALL: SUNSHINE : WINDS : Highest 68QF on the 6th and 25th Lowest 33°-F „ „ 1st Mean for the Month 54.25QF. 2.69 which is .14 above average. 190.8 hours which is 2.8 hours above average. Easterly and very light, for the first 10 days of May ; then swinging through South to South-West and rising in strength to heavy squalls reaching gale force on the 15th. Subsequently winds were variable but mainly westerly and light to moderate.