Records
The extremes, on the record.
Every number below was written into the ledger by hand first. The machine agreed later, or didn't, and the pencil won.
All-time
Valley extremes since 1934
| Record | Value | Where | When | Ledger note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest temperature | 36.4 °C | Ashgrove Hill | 27 Jul 1983 | "THE QUIET COOK" |
| Lowest temperature | −21.8 °C | Vale Observatory | 12 Jan 1956 | "INK FROZE. USED PENCIL." |
| Wettest day | 96 mm | Point Brace | 14 Nov 1974 | GAUGE OVERFLOWED |
| Strongest gust | 112 km/h | Point Brace | 2 Feb 1990 | CUPS SURVIVED |
| Deepest snow | 61 cm | Ashgrove Hill | 8 Feb 1963 | PATH CLOSED 4 DAYS |
| Longest dry spell | 47 days | Vale floor | Jun–Aug 1976 | DAM DOWN 2.9 M |
| Fastest pressure fall | −14 hPa / 3 h | Vale Observatory | 30 Oct 2000 | THE BRACE VISITOR |
| Driest year | 588 mm | valley mean | 1976 | ALMANAC SOLD OUT |
Method
How a record stands
A record needs three things: the reading, the witness, and the instrument note. The value goes in the ledger the day it happens. The witness is whoever read it. The instrument note records the gauge's last calibration and its mood.
Records are never deleted. When a new one arrives, the old line stays, struck through lightly in pencil, so the ledger reads like a conversation across decades.
Quotes
From the margins
"Buckets it. The gauge has given up." Point Brace, 14 Nov 1974
"Second pot of tea. The chart is arguing with itself." Duty desk, 30 Oct 2000
"Snow to the windowsill. Ledger kept indoors. Reading by memory and apology." Ashgrove Hill, 8 Feb 1963