The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-09-28
From ths Scientic American.
The LAWS OF STORMS.
Curious and Instructive MeteOrOlOgi-
cal Facts Developed by the Govern
ment Weather Observations.

cal Facts Developed by the Govern
l ment Weather Observations.
= In the fourth meteorological repOr
: by Professor J. p. Espy, Of Washing
ton, d. c., we find the following in
! structive generaliZatiOns
!. The rain and snow storms, and ey
! en- the moderate rain and SHOWS, trav
I el from the west toward the east in tn
: United States, during the months o
November, December, January, Feb
ruary and March, which are the ONLY
months to which these generalization,
apply.
,. The storms are accompanies
with a depression of the barOmetel
near the central line of the storm, anC
a rise of the barometer in the front
and rear.
8. This central line Of minimum
pressure is generally Of great length
from north to south, and moves side
foremost toward the east.
4. This line is sometimes nearly
straight, but generally curved, anC
most frequently with its convex side
toward the east.
). The velocity of this line is such
that it travels from the Mississippi tC
the Connecticut River in twenty-fOur
hours, and from the Connecticut tC
st. JOhh, Newfoundland, in nearly
the same, or about thirty-six miles al
hour
! 8. When the barometer falls sud-
denly in the western part of New
England, il rises at the same time in
the valley of the Mississippi, and also
at st. John, Newfoundland.
:. In great storms the wind for
several hundred miles on both sides
of the line of minimum pressure blows
toward that line directly or Obliquely.
I s. The force of the wind is in pro-
portion to the suddenness and great
ness Of the depression Of the barome-
/ ter.
9. Iu all great and sudden depres-
siOns Of the barometer there is much
| rain or SNOW; and in all sudden great
rains or SHOWS there is a great depres-
sion of the barometer near the center
of the storm, and rise beyond its bOrd-
| ers.
10. Many storms are of great and
unknown length from north to south,
reaching beyond our observers on the
I NWllAL III NAtAAto anu Oll LlAC AAbA NAC4n
/ lakes, while their east and west diam
eter is comparatively small These
| storms therefore move side foremost
II. Most storms commence in the
''lIr west," beyond our most western
observers, but some commence in the
United States.
II. When a storm commences in
the United States, the line of mini
mum pressure does not come from the
''far west" but commences with the
storm, and travels with it toward the
eastward.
I3. There is generally a lull Of wind
ut the line of minimum pressure, and
sometimes calm.
El4. When this line of minimum
pressure passes an observer toward
the east, the wind generally soon
changes to the west, and the barOme-
ter begins to rise.
IS. There is generally but little
wind near the line of maximum pres
sure, and on each side of the line
winds are irregular, but tend outward
from the line.
1G. The fluctuations of the barOme-
ter are generally greater in the north
ern than in the southern parts of the
United States.
IL. The fluctuations of the barOme-
ter are generally greater in the eastern
than in the western parts of the Unit
ed States.
Is. In the northern parts of the
United States, the wind, generally in
great storms, sets in from the north of
east and terminates from the north Of
west.
10. In the southern parts of the
United States the wind generally sets
in from the south of east and termI-
mates from the south of west.
20. During the passages Of storms
the wind generally changes from the
eastward to the westward by south,
especially in the southern parts Of the
United States.
q. The northern part of the storm
generally travels more rapidly toward
the east than the southern part.
-. During the high barometer on
the day preceding the storm it is gen.
orally clear and mild in temperature,
especially of very cold weather pre-
ceded.
D. The temperature generally falls
suddenly on the passage of the center
OF greater storms, so tnat sometimes,
when a stream is in the middle of the
United States, the lowest temperature
of the month will be in the West on
the same day that the highest temper
ature is in the East.
Some of the storms, it is true, are
contained entirely, for tine, within
the bounds of my observers, and in
that case the minimum barometer
does not exhibit itself in line of great
length, extending from north to south,
but it is confined to a region near the
center of the storm, and travels with
that center toward the eastward.
From these experiments it may safe
ly be inferred, contrary to the general
belief of scientific men, that vapOr
peTmeates the air from n high to a
low dew point with extreme slOwness,
if, indeed, it permeates it at all and
in meteorolOgy, it will hereafter be
known that vapor rises into regions
where clouds are formed only by b eing
carried up by ascending currents Of
air containing it.