232 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW &Y, 1925
THE WEATHER ELEMENTS
By P. C. DAY, In Charge of Division
PRESSURE AND WINDS
The prominent, features of the weather during May, 1925, were the rapid and frequently record-brealiinv chan es in temperature during the early art of t,he thir8 deca f e over manv districts to eastwar: of the Rocky Mountains, and the continued widespread deficiency in recipitation over niuch of the same region, which has gee, more or less persistent since the beginning of the year. The atmos heric circulation was on the whole rather sluggish for d a y and few cyclones were sufficiently active to cause import-ant precipibation over widespread areas. In fact, due to rather erslstent anticyclonic condit,ions
districts, only two cyclones crossed the interior port.ions of the country, and these were not attended by wide- spread or generally heavy recipit,ation.
the middle Pacific coast about the 13tli, att,ended by unusual precipitation for May over the central aiid northern portions of California. More or less rain fell
over the middle plateau and Rocky Mountain revions as it moved southeastward to Colorado and New kexico during the following two days. By the morning of the
16th the center was over east.ern Iowa and the rainfall area had overspread the lower Missouri and upper Mississip i Valleys and portions of the Great Lakes.
St. Lawrence Valley, and precipitation was general over the Ohio Valley and North Atlantic States and also reached portions of the Middle Gulf Stntes and Florida. The second important storm of the month moved from western Canada to the vicinity of North Dakota by the morning of the 22d and thence southeasterly to the middle Atlantic coast during the following three clays. This
storm was attended mainly by scattered precipitation over the northern, central, and eastern districts, the rain turnin to snow in some of the Northern States, clue to a
center. The anticyclones were the important feature of the pressure distribution, and they were rather persistent over the interior portions of the country, causing marked changes to lower temperatures on several occasions. For the month as a whole the pressure averaged highest over the middle Mississippi and lower Ohio Valleys, a condition not unusual, though the ressure over this and
adjacent areas during May was Jstinctly higher than normal. Generally speaking, the average pressure for May is evewhere normal1 less than for April in both the
treme eastern New England and over the adjacent portions of Canada. During May, 1925, a lar e area over the interior
The presence of high pressure over the interior portions of the country favored souther1 winds over tahe Great
over the central Great 5 lains and lower Missouri Valley
The first important cyc P one of the month approached
During t K e following 24 hours the storm nioved to t,he
decide % change to colder closely following the storm
United States and 8 anada, save for a small area in es-
ortions of the country ha f mean pressure materially R iglier than in April preceding.
Plains and over man northern d istricts, while they were fre uently from nort K erly points in the East Gulf St.ates
an 8 from westerly directions alon the Atlantic coast.
K High winds were mainly of a oca1 character and no
severe storms affected large areas, caused unusual loss of life, or were attended by estensive damage to property.
A list of those reported during the month follows at the end of this section.
TEMPERATURE
As stated at the beginning of this section, May, 1935, was not,able for the wide extremes of temperature occurring during the month. I t is not unusual for a single month to show t.em wraturc; records either higher
show both extremes ovw limited and separate rcgions, but it is rare that these occur in the same month over identical estended areas, .and rare indeed that they should occur over such areas within almost a few hours of each other, particularly in a late spring month, when the atmospheric circulation has largely assumed the quiet summer type. During the period from t.he 22tl to the 25t.h a cyclone of iiiotlerate Iro ortions moved southcastward from the
As harometric pressure was moderately high south of the storm ctlnter, warm winds from the South in con- junction with mainly clear weather immediately pre- ceding tlie area of low pressure favored the occurrence of unusuually hi h maxiniuni t-emperatures , beginning on the 2nd in t 9 le upper Mississippi Valley and con- timing over the 23cl and 24th in the regions to the south and east.. Durina this period tlie highest tem eraturea
were rcported oyer este.nsive areas from the middle and upper Mississippi Valley eastward and southeast- ward to the middle Atlantic coast. Imiiiecliately following this low-pressure area and ita accom anying warmth, an anticyclone of the interior
ing the cold attending its origin quick1 into the heated regions and causing marked and rapic Q changes in tem- perature. Over much of the region referred to the minimum temperutures attending the anticyclone were tho lowest over observed in May, or the lowest observed
so late in the season. In portions of thc middle and uppex Mississippi Valley, t,ho changes from the extreme heat of the 22d to the marked cold of the 24th ranged up to near1 SOo,
60' to 65' in many cases. eriods of warmth
prevailed c h i n the first few ihys of the month over
Cool weather for May >revailed in the upper Missouri
aturcs at. points in Montana wero 10' or more b$ow freezing id as low 11,s ever esperienced so late in s ring. Tem eratures were also unusually low in the Da\otas
occurred in the same area on the 30th. For t.he month as n whole there was a s h y change from tlic unusual warmth that had prevai ed from February to April, inclusive, omr tke clistricts from the Rocky Mountains east.ward, the averages for May ranging from 2' to 6' below the normal over much of
the eastrrn half of the country. West, of the Rocky Mountains the monbhlp temperatures continued above tho normal! as has been the case since the be innin of the year, ant1 a t a few places the means were t e hig 3 est
ever observed in Map. Maximum tem erntures were as high as looo, or more,
or loww than prcviously o i ,served in that month or even
vicinity o f N 1 f ort i Dakota to the middle Atlantic coast.
ever obsrrveil in h a y or at least so early in t E e season
Cansc Y a type moved over nearly the same couisc, carry-
and in approsimntely 36 hours there were drops o P from
and cold referred to above, cool weat % er for the season
most diat,rict,s 9 rom the Rocky Mountains eastward.
Valley about the end o / the first decade, when tern er-
on t Tl e 16th, and sonic unusually high temperatures
Aside from tlie closely associated
over much of t g e interior and southern parts of the
MAY, 1925 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW 233
Character of storm Remarks
country, reaching extremes of 111' in North Dakota and 115' in Tesas. Minimum temperatures were freezin or lower at
The lowest re ortecl was some time during the month in all the 8 tates escept a
an B a reading as low as 38' was recorded in northern F lorida.
few in the extreme Southeast. 7' in the mountain regions of Wyomin
Frost,s were frequent during tlie month ovc\r most central and northern districts east of the Rocky Moun- tains ancl the generally cool conditions retartled the season's progress, the early advance of wliich, hrougli t about by the warmth of preceding months, had been
partially lost by the end.
Authority
PRECIPITATION
Widthof
(yards) I
Time
1
path
ll.45a.m. __________ 12.55 p. m. 1.30p.m.. 880 ______
_._________ 1.760 _-__
P.m ______________________
____---
7.17p.m- ________________
May, 1925, like the four preceding months, was greatly deficient in rainfall as compared with the normal over much of the country, and at the close many sections were suffering severel from lack of moisture. In the
&eat Lakes region the rainfall was frequently the least of record in May, observations extending back from 50
to 75 years. Similar conditions, though less pronounced, prevailed in many parts of the cotton belt. Over much
of the interior of the country the deficiencies for the t h e e months have been large and the tot,al precipitn- tion as been the least ever known for those months, while in other cases all five months of the present have shown marked deficiencies and the total fall roni January to May, inclusive, has been less than ever be- fore received during those months. On the other Iiand,
in the far West, notably in California, where precipih- tion was greatly deficient during the earlier months of the rainy season, the falls were more generous and at points in the vicinity of San Francisco the month as a whole received the heaviest falls in May since 1849, when observations first began. Considerable damage from the unusual rainfalls so late in the season resulted to hay and some early fruih, but otherwise they were of much benefit.' In portions of Texas where drought had persisted for
long periods, heavy rains brought some relief about the
u per Mississippi Va K ey and adjacent portions of the
Tar
Loss Valueof
1
roperty Of life &troy&
______
______ 500
__.__-
60,000
end of the first decade and again at the end of the month. Also in northern Florida and adjacent sections where locally drought had existed since the middle of March some relief was afforded by occasional showers, but the deficient rainfall of preceding months caused unusually dry conditions at the end. Considerin tlie States as a whole only Florida, New
cess of the normal, all other States showing deficiencies, these being particularly large in the States bordering on tlie Mississippi River.
Mexico, Cali B ornia, and Oregon had monthly falls in ex-
SNOWFALL
In California some snow fell in the higher mountains, t.he total falls for the month ranging u to near1 3 feet
by tlie end of tlie month. There were moderate falls in the higher ran es of the Rockies from Colorado northward, ancl ligli t P nlls along the northern border and over the A paladiian Moun- tain districts from Vir inia northwarl The latter falls
middle of the last decade. In parts of western Pennsyl- vania depths ranging from 3 to 6 inches were measured, breaking all May precedents both in amounts and late- ness of occurrence. Some snow fell at the higher eleva- tions in the vicinity of Northfield, Vt., on the 25th, the
lat.est of record for that locality. Snow was observed at La Crosse, Wis., on the 24th nncl a';th, at Port Huron, Mich., on the 24th, and at Parkersburg, W. Va., on the 25th, all the latest of record. At Seattle, Wash., snow occurred on thc 2d, the only record of snow in May at that place.
in favorable localities, but practically a1 r snow ha B melted
were mainly associatec s with the cold period near the
RELATIVE HUMIDITY
As a result of the generally dry condition existing during much of the month the relative humidity was less than normal over nearly all portions of the countr-, the notable esceptions bein the weater part of Cali ornia, and locally in the rnifdle pfains, and New England,
where t,here were slight to moderate excesses.
~
---.do- - -
~
- - __ Wind.
~
___________
Heavy hail ....---.
____do.. __________
SEVERE LOCAL HAIL AND WIND STORMS, MAY, 1925
Report of the Chief of Burcaul IT& table herewith contdns such data as have been received concerning Bevero local storms that occurred during the month. A more complete statement will az&.mar in the Annual
nnr damige in other sedons. 100 head of cattle killed- - __ - -. __ - __ - -. ______ __ - Trces torn up; roof damaged; ferry boat and lnndin torn loose. Several gundred acres of corn and cotton de- stroyed. Corn, cotton, and truck damaged .______________
PI- I Date
___._______ %gam-.
5 .3 0 ~. m--
Mp.m..-
CrOp.rn---
8-9 p.m..-
4a.m _____ ___________
10a.m ____
1.20-2p.m.
I Cleveland. Ohio- - __ __ - __ ____
Te.rre Haute, Ind- ___________
Parkexshurg, W. Va __________
Newton, Utah. ______________
Ban Antonio, Tex. (vlcinlty
Trmentina, N. Men _________ Kenner, La .__._________-----
Cloutierville, La. ____________
Qulncy, Fla. (near) - _________
Fad and Clark Counties,
=per County, Okla. (north-
Paducah, Tex ________________
Rogers. Ark. (w. and n. of) ____
BprlngUeld, Mo. (11 mlles se..
DeaveT, wyo------*---------
00.
Kans.
an part OD.
a.
________________
__________ ______
6mi... ________ 12.ooO-
2-lOmi ._______ 5O.OOO
lOml_.__ ______
15-20mi _______ 10,000
%3mi.-. ______
i a 000
2,640 .... ______ 6,000
i
3
4
1
7
8
9 10
11
12
12
12
13
13
13
14
Hail. _____ ______ __
Severe hail ________
Hail-- ____________
Heavy hail, wind
Heavy hail. ___. - - - and rain.
Growing wheat damaged 25 per cent to total ____
Orent damage to crops __________________________
Light buildings. crops, and windmills damaged;
Orchards and gardens considerably injured ...--.
-__-.do - - - ___ - - - __ ___ __ ______________ - - - - ___
DO.
Do.
DO.
D a
DO.
path 30 miles.
Thunderstorm. ___ Tower of church damaged; windows broken; 11
Thunderstorm and Tomato and cabbage plants beaten; grape vines
Heavy hail ________ Gardens and fruit trees considerably damaged.
persons injured.
hail. and trees injured.
Path 6 miles long.
chickens killed. Path 0 to 7 miles long. --.do
~
- -. . . Damage principally to alfalfa and beets. Young
Thunderstorm. ___ Stinson Flvina Field comDletelv wrecked. Mi-
I Do. -__.do. - __ - - - ___ Sugar beets, gardens, and alfalfa injured; irrigat-
1 ing canal damaged.