The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-04-29
In 1874 ), he resumed. "the bot s

"In 1872 he resumed, "the not speil
came on the 9Th OF April. On the previous
day the thermometer msrked $40, and then
the mercury went up to $40. On The 26tn
of that month II was down 10 $50, only A.
above the freezing point. We may nave
cold, nippiug snap yet before many days.
but the low barometer in the western pla-
teau indicates heat 10 this latitude"
els there any foundation for the common
belief that an unusually cold winter u iei'
lowed by an unusually wai m summer"
"None In the least. There Is no evident
connection between tho me, eorological con-
ditions OF the seasons. The summers OF
1871 and 1878 were each 10 cooler than the
average, yet the first followed the coidest
winter. save last winter, OF the decade.
and the second the warmest winter Of the
decade. The winter OF 1S19-'S0 was the
warmtst OF the decade, being 70 above the
mean, while last summer was only three
tenths OF degree eoolor than the mean.
Last winter was q very cold one, and the
coming summer may be a cool one. or 1t
may be a warm one; we cannot predict
with the least confidence so far ahead"
"Vennor seems TO have plenty OF conf
dence, and he hits the nail on the bead very
frequently. He boldly predicts frosts and
SHOWS early ia May, and then hot spell;
be even predicts frosts In this locality in
the month OF roses. What do you think Ct
him as prophet?"
"Vennor merely guesses, and be fire.
quentiy makes very bad guesses. Last year
he predicted rainy summer, when, In fact,
there was a marked deficiency in moisture
throughout all the Atlantic states. With
all our extended observations, we do not at
tempt to make a prediction over three days
ahead Last November | predicted four
DAYS in advance that on the gcneral-election
day fair, clear weather would prevail over
all the country east OF the Mississippi Val
ley, and my prediction was correct to a
dot. But none OF us like to predict over
three days ahead. Inside OF three days
all our data may be elminated-not q
yestige left. Sometimes we have TO
make new calculations every eight
hours. Vennor predicted the customary
tbaw in January, but the thaw didn't
cOme--it was the coolest January in forty
years. Vennor crawled out of the dilemma
by saying that the cold snap bad crowded
out his tbaw. A man who cannot correctly
prophesy one month ahead is certainly pre-
sunptnous TO undertake the job for twelve
months ahead. One experienced in data
can, with confidence and t0lerable accuracy,
forecast the condition OF the weather for
any month years ahead-that March will be
clustering. April tickle, and June full OF
sunshine Nature, in her strange freaks,
may knock all these predictions Into smith
ereens.'"
"Has this warm spell extended over
very large areay"
"a very large area, embracing most of the
country east Of the Rocky Mountains and
north OF the latitude OF Washington. But
the heat wave has ex pended its force-cooled
of while skimming over the Atlantic waves.
A hot wave is prevailing in the Southwest,
but 1t Is independent OF the scorcher that
has Just parted company with us. This eve
ming the temperature is low along the entire
Atlantic coast, while 1t is very high in Texas
and Arizona. The frmcmeter here stands
at Gao; at points 10 Western Texas, go in J
Tucson, 90; in Yuma, 90"
"Where do these hot currents breed, and
how do they travelf"
"The cold waves are very clearly de. |
fined; they originate in the Hudson.bay |
country north OF Manitoba, aud uniformly |
move enthusiastically and gradually cover, |
with diminishing cold, the entire country. |
The heated air currents most frequently de- |
velop, ss the last one did, on the broad pla. |
teau lying eastward OF the Rocky Noun.
tains, In connection with an extensive area |
OF low barometic pressure. More generally |
these heated terms are accompanied by a |
storm.centre, with but slight rainfall, |
which, developing In high latitude, moves
slowly eastward, skirting the northern edge
OF the United States, and thereby Inducing |
warm, southerly winds. The clouds here |
become very thin, aud we get a large
amount OF beat from the sun. Low barome- |
ter IN the TAR west and southerly winds |
cause these hot spells. Generally they do |
not continue over three days: sometimes. |
however, they continue for fully ten days" |