Although the Burmese coast has so moist a climate, the greater part of the moisture pouring in from the sea is precipitated on the rather high range of hills that extends along the entire length of this peninsula, at no great distance from the coast; so that as we ascend the Irrawaddy, the rainfall steadily diminishes, until in the far inland regions of Upper Burmah we get a climate reproducing, in many respects, that of north-western India, though of course to a much less marked degree. This change from extreme moisture to moderate dryness may be followed by comparing the three following climatic tables of stations in Burmah.
| Climatic Table of Burmese Stations. | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Rangoon, near Coast. Lat. 16° 30′ N. | Mandalay, Inland. Lat. 22° N. | Bhamo, Chinese Frontier. Lat. 24° 20′ N. | ||||||
| Mean Monthly Maxima | Mean Monthly Minima | Mean Monthly Rainfall | Mean Monthly Maxima | Mean Monthly Minima | Mean Monthly Rainfall | Mean Monthly Maxima | Mean Monthly Minima | Mean Monthly Rainfall | |
| January | 89·1 | 64·2 | 0·11 | 84·1 | 56·0 | 0·06 | 77·2 | 48·5 | 0·71 |
| February | 92·8 | 65·9 | 0·23 | 89·9 | 60·1 | 0·08 | 82·2 | 53·1 | 0·39 |
| March | 96·6 | 71·1 | 0·16 | 97·7 | 67·9 | 0·21 | 89·0 | 60·1 | 0·69 |
| April | 98·6 | 76·2 | 1·74 | 102·3 | 77·8 | 1·19 | 93·9 | 67·6 | 1·65 |
| May | 91·9 | 77·3 | 11·73 | 99·0 | 79·0 | 5·26 | 93·7 | 72·7 | 6·15 |
| June | 86·5 | 76·5 | 18·30 | 95·0 | 78·5 | 5·71 | 90·5 | 74·9 | 13·35 |
| July | 85·3 | 75·8 | 21·37 | 94·2 | 78·4 | 3·26 | 87·8 | 75·1 | 19·17 |
| August | 85·1 | 75·7 | 19·65 | 93·3 | 77·6 | 4·16 | 88·1 | 75·4 | 16·40 |
| September | 85·7 | 75·9 | 15·89 | 92·8 | 76·9 | 6·21 | 90·1 | 74·5 | 8·79 |
| October | 87·7 | 75·6 | 7·12 | 91·8 | 74·8 | 4·54 | 88·5 | 69·6 | 3·47 |
| November | 87·6 | 72·3 | 2·52 | 86·7 | 67·2 | 1·67 | 81·8 | 59·2 | 0·93 |
| December | 87·3 | 67·3 | 0·07 | 82·3 | 59·3 | 0·28 | 76·3 | 50·7 | 0·44 |
| Year | 89·5 | 72·8 | 98·89 | 92·4 | 71·1 | 32·63 | 82·6 | 65·1 | 72·14 |
Conditions of space make it difficult here to express the data in both scales, accordingly the English scale only is given. The higher rainfall of Bhamo as compared with Mandalay is attributable to its proximity to the great range of hills which divide Burmah from China.
Straits Settlements.
—Singapore has, or had, a yacht club, “The Equatorial,” the course for whose regattas was supposed to be “the Line,” so that the climate of this colony is necessarily of the equatorial type. There is practically no seasonal change, as although the maxima of rainfall occur in March-April and December, the other months have also an amount of precipitation not far short of these specially rainy months. The annual range of temperature is under 18° F. (10° C), and though the climate is rather moist, excessive heat is never met with; the mean maximum of April, the warmest month, being but 89° F. The main climatic facts may be gathered from the subjoined table:—
| Singapore. Lat. 1° 16′ N.; Long. 103° 53′ E. Observatory a fewFeet above the Sea. | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Mean Temperature | Mean Maximum Temperature | Mean Minimum Temperature | Relative Humidity % | Rainfall | Number of Rainy Days | ||||
| F. | C. | F. | C. | F. | C. | Ins. | Mm. | |||
| January | 78·2 | 25·7 | 85·6 | 29·8 | 71·7 | 22·0 | 79 | 10·30 | 261·6 | 16 |
| February | 79·0 | 26·1 | 87·1 | 30·6 | 71·6 | 21·9 | 79 | 6·18 | 156·3 | 9 |
| March | 79·9 | 26·6 | 88·0 | 31·1 | 73·3 | 23·0 | 80 | 8·41 | 213·7 | 14 |
| April | 81·2 | 27·3 | 89·0 | 31·7 | 74·8 | 23·7 | 79 | 8·39 | 213·5 | 15 |
| May | 82·7 | 28·2 | 88·9 | 31·6 | 76·4 | 24·6 | 79 | 5·58 | 141·3 | 13 |
| June | 80·9 | 27·1 | 86·7 | 30·4 | 75·6 | 24·3 | 81 | 6·37 | 161·7 | 16 |
| July | 81·7 | 27·6 | 87·5 | 30·8 | 75·4 | 24·1 | 76 | 7·74 | 196·6 | 13 |
| August | 80·8 | 27·0 | 86·3 | 30·2 | 74·9 | 23·8 | 78 | 6·83 | 173·0 | 14 |
| September | 80·5 | 26·9 | 86·9 | 30·5 | 74·2 | 23·5 | 77 | 5·83 | 148·2 | 12 |
| October | 80·4 | 26·8 | 87·1 | 30·7 | 74·1 | 23·4 | 79 | 8·61 | 218·8 | 17 |
| November | 79·3 | 26·3 | 86·1 | 30·1 | 73·6 | 23·2 | 82 | 9·24 | 234·5 | 18 |
| December | 77·4 | 25·2 | 83·2 | 28·5 | 73·5 | 23·1 | 89 | 10·84 | 275·5 | 17 |
| Year | 80·1 | 26·7 | 86·9 | 30·5 | 74·0 | 26·7 | 80 | 93·99 | 2387 | 174 |
| Figures for 1896 | Averages of 10 years | |||||||||
During January and February the wind is mainly from the north-east, but varies greatly, often veering round to the north-west. The south-west monsoon, known here as the “Java winds,” comes on about April and continues only to July, after which month, till November, the winds are again very variable, the most common directions being south-south-west, south-east, and west.
Considering its proximity to the Equator the climate is wonderfully pleasant, the nights being always cool enough to sleep at ease, and though there is generally a pleasant breeze, the island enjoys an almost complete immunity from storms.
Siam
, owing to its geographical position, is to some extent preserved from the heat, rain, and devastating cyclones common in adjoining countries, the high mountains with which it is almost completely surrounded, cutting it off from most of their effects. The coolest month is December, though the absolute minimum may occur at any time from November to February; and the hottest, April.