The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1879-07-24
TORNADOfsS

The tornadoes are travelling a little farther
north, and the higher attitudes are expert.
oncing In July what we did in June lime
teorloSlsts would note the fact that thess
tornadoes travel moth with the season, the,
might find a cue 30 their oigiu and cause,
that is Lot known at present. In Texas
Louisiana, Arkansas and other extrem,
points they occur in March and Aprif: fu
hansss and Missouri, ab nut the last of MAY
ard first of June, and In Minnesota and that
latitude, in July. This rule has It's excep
tons, We know, but the uniformity is such
that general cause must under.ie them,
Kansas City Journal
The same state of facts referred to above
has been noted by observers for many years
past, and the conclusion is that tornadoes
are the result of atmospheric disturbances
engendered BY the unequal distribution of
heat over the earth's surface The lorna
does OF the tropics are probably due to dis
turbsnces in the upper air, but our nurri-
canes in this latitude are clearly surface
agit.tions. In the latitude of Kansas we
are liable to have at any time during the
last OF May or first of June, q period of a few
dsys unseasoaably hot, when the mercury
will go 10 July or August
altitude; and while such unse .sonable
heat is experienced in some localities, other
localities in the same latitude may have a
temperature 250 or so lower. The conse-
qnence OF this ia, Of course, that the cool
air from the surrounding sections rushes in
to fill the vacuum ,hat has been created in
the vicinity visited by the shot SPELL" and
hence tornado OF greater or less violence.
II the warming up" in the spring and
early summer should be always grad
ual, and the heat evenly distributed, there
would be nothing to cause destructive tor
nadoes IN our latitude at that season Of the
year, but whenever the air is superheated
in our locality, while in the surrounding
country 1t is seasonably cool, violent storms
must inevitably ensue. When the season
has so far advanced that the air ali
around becomes heated, then tn
danger of sudden and violent storms is
much reduced. This is why the tornadoes
AAo'S MUM" aiu Win tue dCVSEClDg sea
son, occurring in Texas in April, and along
the Canada line in July. Now let some.
body tell us why we have sudden hot spells
in some localities, in the early part of the
season, while other localities are seasons
bly, cool, and then We shall know all about
ii.
As We showed in an article a few DAYS
ago, the idea recently advanced by certain
Eastern and Northern journals, of lorna
does being confined to this portion of the
country, is simply nonsense; we took the
position, in the article referred to, that these
distances were due to causes such as we have
mentioned sbove. and were as liable to &C.
cur in one locality az another. Since the
article mentioned, was published, strong
proofs OF the correctness Of the position
therein assumed have been furnished by
violent and terrible storms which have
visited Michigan, in the northwest, and
New Hsmshire in the northeast, accom-
panied in both instances with great loss Of
lie, and greater destruction of property
thsn was wrought by the Kansas tornado. |