[Report 1882] / Medical Officer of Health, Birmingham.

  • Birmingham (England). Council.
Date:
1882
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1882] / Medical Officer of Health, Birmingham. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    26/108 (page 24)
    Meteorology. Temperature. January. February. March. April. May. June. July. Augu.st. September. October, November, December. Snow. METEOEOLOGY. The year 1882 will, no doubt, be long remembered as one of the very wettest years which have been experienced in Birmingham. Notwithstanding the excessive rainfall of the year, however, the mean annual temperature was slightly above the average of the last twenty years. In 1881, though the rainfall was small the temperature was below the mean, and in 1882 with an abnormally large rainfall the temperature was above the average. Wet years are usually colder, and dry years warmer than the average, so that the last two years have been exceptions to the general I’ule. The average temperature for the year was 48°-77, or 0°’57 above the average of twenty years, 1°‘57 above last year’s temperature, 0°'77 above that of 1880, and 2°-77 above that of 1879, which was one of the coldest years of this century. The temperature during the first and fourth Quarters of 1882 was above the average, in the Spring and Summer Quarters it was below the average; thus the Winter was warm and the Summer cold, these conditions being most favourable to health. Taking the .months in their order, we find that January was an exceedingly warm month, being 3“’9 above the average, there being only four nights during the month on which there was a frost, and there was a total absence of snow. February also was a very mild month, there being only one night upon which frost was recorded, and as in January, there was not a single day on which snow fell. In IMarch the temperature was more above the average than in either of the two preceding months, and only two frosty nights were experienced, whilst snow fell on two days only. Thus in the Winter Quarter of 1882 there were only seven nights on which the thermometer fell to 32°, and there were only two days on which snow fell, a circumstance which I believe is without parallel. One of the natural results of this extremely mild Winter was that vegetation was very forward. In April the temperature was slightly below the average, being only l°-4 warmer than March, whereas the temperature in April should be 6°'6 in excess of that of March. May was a warm month although the days were cold. This is accounted for by the fact that S.W. winds were prevalent during this month, causing cool cloudy days but warm nights. June was cool, there being only one day during the month on which the thermometer reached 70°. July, August, and September were all below the average, though not to any great extent. The highest point reached by the thermometer during this year was only 78°-5, which was attained on the 12th of August, wliilst last year the absolute maximum temperature was as high as 88°-0. October and November were both above, whilst Decem- ber was slightly below the average. A frost of ten days’ duration visited us in December, it being sufiiciently severe to cause the smaller pools in the neighbourhood to beai' skaters. Snow fell frequently in November and December. Strong gales occurred in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Quarters of the year. Frequent thunderstorms visited us in the 2nd