The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-01-14
Extraordinary Temperatures in Europe and
America.

The close Of 1881 was perhaps remarkable
for nothing more than its phenomenal wealth.
er, both on this and the opposite side otSthe
Atlantic. For thirteen months previous 10
last November the immense majority of At
lantc cyclone centres which swept over North.
western Europe, says Nature, passed south OF
the northern half of the British Islands, with
the inevitable result of unusually cold weather
10 the north OF these storm tracks" But early
in November last an important change set in,
and up to December 3 the reports show that
the ocean depressions passed 10 the northwest
of the British Islands, with the necessary re.
suit of a temperature very greatly IN excess Of
the average for the period. Everywhere IN
the United Kingdom the temperature was alb.
normally high-irom 80 to So degrees above
the mean, 6 degrees above in London and Ed.
nOurgh. Comparison with old metcOrOlOgc
records, running back to the year 1864, show
that the last was the warmest English Novem
Der registered IN | Is years As the exception
al thCrmometrlC result was due to the peculiar
distribution OF mean barometric pressure
which is not usually subject to sudden chan
ges DEFENDERS returns will probably show
similar high temperatures, continuing 10 the
beginning of the new year.
Were this ccCentrcity of the season confined
to Western Europe we might look for its cause
in some change of position of that great win
ter area of permanent low pressure known to
exist over Iceland, and we might suppose that
ITS present centre was shifted further north
than is usual. The influence of this low pres.
sure is, perhaps, controllingly felt in drawing
toward it the ocean storms which advance
from America ,1ward Europe ana il is highly
probable that 1t has been recently much dis.
turbcd by the extraordinary accumulation of
ice now filling the seas between Greenland and
Spitzbergen. But the eccentric temperature
has been as conspicuous in the United States
rs in Western Europe. Last Saturday the Sig
nal Service reported: "FOr the first time this
month the temperature Is generally below the
mean" and, while il was during December "at
nearly the mean in the Gulf States" it was
above the mean IN all the Northern States ~
and will probably average 20 to p degrees
above the mean for the month in Minnesota
and Dakota" The significance of such high
thermOmetrlC conditions can hardly be real
lied, extending, as they do INTO the very
strOnghods of the frost king IN the Northwest
where before Christmas of the previous year
the polar cold of 80 below zero occurred I'll
is by no means too late TO hopetOr Il very good
ice crop, and, judging from like seasonal an
Omales in former years, we may expect the
worst of the winter in February and early
March Should this be the case, and the Sc
verest cold visit the country before the fruit
trees bud last years scarcity Of fruit will not
be repeated. We have reason, also, to rejoice
that the grain crops are not now threatened by
the terrible and protraced winter Of 1891, and
to anticipate something better next summer
than only twOthirds of the average yield
~ y UeTdlH