Page:Palestine Exploration Fund - Quarterly Statement for 1894.djvu/61

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Of these heavy falls five were in January, three in February, two in March, and three in December; the fall of rain in every other month was less than 10 inches.

There were, however, a good many other heavy falls; there were six exceeding 9 inches, of which three were in January in the years 1861, 1863, and 1867; one in February, 1886, and two in December in the years 1873 and 1890; five exceeding 8 inches, one in January, 1874, two in February in the years 1877 and 1884, and two in December in 1868 and 1892; there were 10 exceeding 7 inches, all between November and .January, 18 exceeding 6 inches, 9 exceeding 5 inches, 16 exceeding 4 inches, and 23 exceeding 3 inches.

The largest fall of rain in three consecutive months was 32·23 inches, ending February, 1878; the next in order was 30·52 inches, ending January, 1889; the smallest in three consecutive months was 3·10 inches, ending February, 1870; and the next in order was 3·88 inches, ending January, 1870.

The numbers in the last column of Table I shows the average fall of rain in every month; the largest is in January, the next in order December, then March and April. The number at the foot of each column shows the fall of rain in the year; the three smallest are 13·39 inches in 1870, 13·56 inches in 1889, and 14·41 inches in 1876. The three greatest are 37·79 inches in 1888, 35·51 inches in 1890, and 34·72 inches in 1891. The mean of the three lowest was 11·44 inches below the average; and the three highest was 10·78 inches above the average. It is remarkable that the fall of rain in the years 1864, 1870, 1876, and 1889 were all less than the fall in the month of December, 1888, and that the fall in the year 1881 was only 0·1 inch larger. It may also be noticed that the fall in the month of January, 1878, was the same in amount with the fall in the year 1870.

The average annual fall of rain is shown at the foot of the last column and is 25·23 inches, being very nearly the same as in London, but how differently distributed! By laying the annual falls down as a diagram the results can be seen at once. The first thing to be noticed is the evident increase of the fall of rain in the later years of the series, and the