The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-02-21 00:00:00

THE SCIENCE OF METEOItOLOGY,

Science is undoubtedly approached by
three steps—first the observation and collec-
tion of facts ; then the collation and study
of these facts so as to learn what laws they
indicate; and lastly the application of the
laws thus ascertained to the forecasting of
physical phenomena. Eclipses are thus cal-
culated, tides are timed, and the movements
of the heavenly bodies are foretold to a
second. On applying these principles to the
science of meteorology, however, they are
found not exactly to fit in. together. The
weather has been a study for centuries ;
signs of change or indications of permanence
have been noted ; and common observation
has embodied them in proverbs that have
come down to us in age after age. Yet the
popular forecasts of the seasons arefrequently
wrong. The shepherd or the sailor is often
correct as to what kind of weather may be
expected within the next twenty-four hours ;
but in these latitudes anything beyond this
is little better than a guess. The atmospheric
conditions of these islands are as uncertain

as those of any part of the globe. There is
the continent on one side of us, an the Gulf
stream on the other, the latter tempering
the frigidity of the air which envelopes the
northern hemisphere. Our winters are thus
irregular. There is &constant struggle
between the mild south-westerly breezes and
the colder atmosphere of the northern
regions. Thus it comes to pass that some of
our winters are softened by the mild Atlantic
air, and others seem to bear a very strong
resemblance to those of the Arctic regions.
Sometimes the battle is' an indecisive one,
and the winter becomes one of alternatefrost
and thaw. Our summers are similarly

'ery

---- --
affected Let the easterly current gain
absolute supremacy, and there is a spell of
dry weather ; but when the moistureladen
air from the west meets the colder atmos-
phere just over our heads, the chill condenses
its moisture into clouds and rain, and the
same influence which moderates the winter

chills the summer.
Under such circumstances it is obvious
that all weather forecasts must of necessity
be more difficult than they would be in a
spot less liable to be visited by opposing
c-arrente of air. "Drprpasinns" are often siu-
nailed as approaching our coasts when they are
suddenly met by an unexpected wind from a
contrary quarter, and turnoff somehundreds
of miles, either upon the Continent or into
the sea. It is clear enough that the great
work of meteorological science is to multiply
observations as much •as possible. The
Council of the Royal Society has, in the last
twelve months, tabulated returns from 145
logs of ships, and have fitted out 114 vessels
with instruments. These vessels have gone
to all parts of the world, and are gathering
information upon the gales of the Cape
district as well as of the surface temperature
and currents of the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans. An examination is being made of
the probable causes of the sudden and des-
tructive hurricanes which sweep over the
West India islands. A vast amount of
knowledge will ultimately be gathered from
every clime and from every sea as to the
conditions and changes of the atmosphere.
In the United States the system of weather
forecasts has become exceeding interesting
and valuable. There the area is so wide,
and the facilities for telegraphic communica-
tion betweendistant stations are so ni:merons
that the movements of storms may be noted
with something like certainty. The weather
changes of the Americans originate in a
mountain chain, whereas ours come from the
ocean. From the observatories stationed
upon the Rocky mountains the Eastern
States of the Union are easily warned days
beforehand of changes which have been
noted in the west. It has been suggested
that if we in England could haveapermanent
centre of observation some 600 miles out in
the Bay of Biscay, off the west coast of
- and, off the north-west coast of
would be to give us
twenty-four hours' notice of changes which
now come down suddenly upon as, out of
what is practically the unknown region of
the Atlantic atmosphere.
The Meteorological office in London
receives every day 52 reports in the morning
ten in the afternoon, and eleven in the
evening. Of the morning reports, 24 come
from the Continent, and 28 from the British
Isles. From these returns forecasts are
made of the probable weather on the morrow
these being based on the state of the
barometer, the temperature, and the direction
of the wind as indicated at various stations.
An effort is now being made to obtain a
large increase in the number of stations
from which reports are received. At the
places from which the information comes
are more widely spread over the whole area,
the inferences drawn from them are more
likely to be exact. An increasing interests
is felt in the question, and there is a grow-
ing demand for the forecasts on the part of
the public. In a climate so variable, the
weathitr is the national topic of conversation
and anything which enabled it to be foretold
with anything like tolerable accuracy Would
be Inofat welcome.