Transactions of RHASS Volume 1940 - Page 107
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| Year | 1940 |
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202 THE WEATHER OF SCOTLAND IN 1039. Onich, and Benmore all had 7 4° F. on the 20th. On the coolest nights (24th and 25th) the temperature fell to about 40° F. generally, while West Linton had 32° F. (24th), Braemar and VVolfelee 33° F. (24th), and Dalwhinnie 33° F. (25th). Slight ground frosts occurred at some high-level stations on five nights. Rainfall was spread over the whole month, and few stations had less than twenty days with measurable rainfall, while in the north-west the number of such days reached twenty-nine locally. More than double the average rainfall occurred in an area from Moray Firth to the west coast, and also in Orkney. Only in Edinburgh and locally in Ayrshire was the recorded rainfall slightly below normal. Monthly totals ranged from 13-26 inches at Glen Moidart to 4-66 inches at Loch Laggan. The wettest day was the 12th, when more than one inch of rain fell in the country generally, while over a considerable area in the west the amounts exceeded 2 inches. The largest daily falls reported were 3'50 inches at Ardgour, 348 at Kinlochmoidart, and 3'33 at Kinlochquoich. Snow was reported in the Cairngorms on the 1st and on Ben Nevis on the 23rd (a rare occurrence in July), and hail fell in many places on the 23rd and locally on the 1st, 2nd, and 31st. Thunder was frequent, being reported on twenty-one days. The storms were Widespread on the 5th, and the 14th, 15th, and 19th were very thundery days in the South. During a storm at Troon on the 15th the rainfall amounted to 3-22 inches, of which about 2 inches fell in fifty minutes. Sunshine was deficient everywhere, and there was a notably prolonged spell of dull weather in the north-west lasting for fourteen days from the 5th to the 18th. In this period Dun- tuilm (Skye) registered only 23 hours of sunshine. The totals were less than half of the normal at many places in the north and west. They varied from 165 and 151 hours at Dunbar and Lundin Links to between 57 and 69 hours at Stornoway, Deerness, and Banff. AUGUST. The month as a whole was notably dry, and the first part mainly cool, but the latter half warm. It was the eighth successive August with a mean temperature above the normal. Unsettled conditions prevailed on the whole until towards the end of the first two weeks, and there were rather cool periods in the first week and about the middle of the month. There were exceptionally warm nights around the 28th. No winds of gale force were reported at any station. The mean temperature was higher than usual over the whole country. The warmest days were the 18th, 19th, and 28th when the temperature exceeded 70° F. in many places. A THE WEATHER OF SCOTLAND IN 1939. 203 shade maximum of 78° F. was registered at Perth, Edinburgh, Kelso, Wolfelee, and Marchmont 0n the 18th, at Ruthwell on the 19th, and at Kilmarnock on the 28th. The warmest night was that of the 27th, when Onich reported 62° F. and (,‘olmonell 61° F., and the night temperature remained above 60° F. at various other places. During the cool periods in the early and middle parts of the month screen temperatures fell to about 40° F. in many places at night. Dalwhinme had 31° F. on the 5th and West Linton 32° F. on the 13th. Ground frosts were reported from Dalwhinnie on the 5th and 7th. Rainfall was below normal in all parts, the deficiency being greatest over the southern half of the country where most places had rather less than half their normal rainfall. The monthly totals ranged from 4-51 inches at North Ballachuhsh to 109 inch at Fort Augustus. The largest daily fall was ]-45 inch at Glenshiel. Hail was reported locally on the 10th, 19th and 26th, and thunderstorms on sixteen days. Storms m-curred in all parts on the 26th and were severe in the south. Two fatalities occurred at Jedburgh, and buildings were struck by lightning in Edinburgh and Arbroath. Flooding “as severe at Troon and Arbroath. Shetland experienced one of its rare thunderstorms on the 9th. Sunshine was above the average in the west, and below average in the centre and east. The totals ranged from 213 and 204 hours at Tiree and Stornoway respectively to 109 hours at Cardross and 117 at North Berwick. SEPTEMBER. The month was dry, and the latter half especially so. It was the seventh successive September with a mean tempera— ture above the normal. Thunderstorms were widespread and severe on the 3rd. The unusually warm spell of the latter half of August persisted during the first nine days of September, and was chiefly responsible for raising the mean temperature of Sep- tember above normal. The last week of September was cool. Rain fell generally in the first thirteen days, but thereafter rainfall was infrequent and slight. Winds of gale force were reported on five days, the total duration at Lerwick being 2 hours, and at Bell Rock 1 hour. The mean temperature was above normal in all districts, the excess at several widely separated stations reaching 3° F., and at Arbroath 38° F. During the warm period, from the 2nd to the 5th, many stations registered 70° F., while Kilmarnock and Edinburgh had 76° F. on 2nd and 5th respectively, and Paisley, Ruthwell, and Forres 75° F. |
| Title | Transactions of RHASS Volume 1940 - Page 107 |
