erved.| Observed.
-----------------+--------------+--------------+--------------+------------
Highland region: | | | | | | | |
Dover | 3.29 | 15.02 | 5.54 | 5.47 | 5.08 | 9.04 | 4.02 | 3.39
Chester | 3.48 | 12.80 | 6.42 | 7.59 | 5.16 | 9.35 | 4.60 | ...
Charlotteburg | 3.52 | 9.45 | 5.54 | 3.97 | 4.98 | 7.78 | 4.80 | 3.29
Ringwood | ... | 10.13 | ... | 3.08 | ... | 6.17 | ... | 3.06
Red Sandstone | | | | | | | |
plain: | | | | | | | |
Paterson | 4.31 | 11.17 | 5.32 | 5.40 | 4.31 | 10.89 | 4.86 | 2.88
Hanover | 3.32 | ... | 5.23 | 5.40 | 5.20 | 9.40 | 4.52 | ...
River Vale | 3.17 | 10.62 | 4.87 | 3.41 | 4.17 | ... | 3.61 | 2.90
Essex Fells | 3.08 | ... | 7.03 | ... | 5.95 | ... | 3.67 | 1.80
Newark | 3.60 | 11.51 | 4.48 | 4.27 | 4.75 | 14.54 | 3.83 | 4.56
South Orange | 3.57 | 9.28 | 5.43 | 4.22 | 5.05 | 13.75 | 4.04 | 3.80
New York City | 3.13 | 7.42 | 4.26 | 3.23 | 4.70 | 5.96 | 3.72 | 2.60
Plainfield | 3.62 | 10.14 | 5.86 | 4.70 | 4.37 | 6.87 | 4.42 | 7.10
Elizabeth | 3.68 | 8.76 | 5.74 | 4.31 | 4.26 | 7.15 | 4.14 | 4.38
-----------------+--------------+--------------+------|-------+------+-----

An examination of the above table shows that throughout the summer of
1903 the precipitation was considerably above normal. The records for
June and August indicate extremely wet months, and the July figures are
slightly above while the September figures are somewhat below normal.
The important fact shown by this table is that disastrous floods may
occur after long periods of abundant rains. It has been observed that
heavy precipitation may be expected after protracted periods of drought.
Such a belief is not altogether fanciful. In the northeastern part of
this country the total amount of precipitation is approximately uniform
from year to year. The variations, comparatively speaking, are not very
wide, and we are therefore led to expect that there are in operation
influences which serve to compensate for excesses or deficiencies in our
annual rainfall. Therefore after the abundant precipitation of the
summer of 1903, an observer might have had some measure of justification
in predicting a normally or abnormally dry fall. In view of the actual
events the fact must be emphas