The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-07-12
Storm Science.

laws that are easily comprehended and
susceptible of application by any intelli-
gent observer, who, noting the conditions
that exist, may reason therefrom to the
conditions that must ensue. In other
words, by understanding the laws of
meteorology and considering the obser-
vations daily reported in the newspapers,
one may make his own forecasts one,
two, and even three days in advance, the
value of which will depend only on the
carefulness of his predictions. 1t must
be understood, in the first place, that \
storm is not of local origin. For in
stance, q storm does not form here at the
same time another is forming at Cairo,
Omaha, Buffalo, or Duluth. This is q
popular error, and the cause of many
delusions. On the contrary, ninety-nine
out of every hund ii storms in the Uni
ted States origina :, on the arid plains
east of the Rocky Mountains, and from
there move eastw ard. The process of
the origin of storm. now well under
stood, consists OF the formation of n
''storm CENTER" o, area of low barome-
ter, terms which a. practically synony
nous.
The atmosphere is a varying deposi-
tory of sun-heat acquired directly from
the suns rays and from the heated sur
face of the earth. On the barren and
sandy plains this acquisition of heat is
augmented by the more powerful refiec-
ton of the sand, and presently a body of
air, many miles in circumference, will
become super-charged with heat, which
induces q greater absorption of moisture
from the earth's surface and surrounding
atmosphere. This heated body of air,
true to that law which causes the lighter
heated atmosphere to ascend (nowhere
better illustrated than at the ordinary
chimney commences to rise; other air
rushes In below, which hencountering the
same heating surfaces. is in turn heated,
rises, and gives place continuously to
other air. This is q storm center, and
the country over which this operation is
going on is an area of low barometer
land high thermometer,) called so from
the fact that the atmosphere, having an
ascensive motion, counteracts in q meas
ure its downward pressure, and for other
minor reasons not necessary to detail.
This rising body of air, highly charged
with vapor (another name for moisture)
ascends until it passes the dew-point,
which is the point where the moisture in
the atmosphere will begin to resolve
itself again into water and descend in
rain. This operation of the condensa-
ton of moisture from vapor into water
is noticeable on the outside of q pitcher
of ice-water, on the water-pipes In
houses, or ON any metallic surface in a
damp house where there is no fire.
The ascending body of atmosphere at
each point of its ascent encounters colder
air, and the latent heat, released by the
condensation of vapor augmenting its
temperature, its progress upward is in
creased instead of dimished. until finally
reaching the higher strata of air, it
spreads outward, on top as it were,
piling up, if the expression may be used,
and SO deepening the atmosphere at the
circumference Of the storm, which, to-
gether with the fact that the atmosphere
has a slightly onward motion at the
the same point, creates q circle of high
barometer, or great air pressure outside
the storm
The operation of condensation of
moisture manifests itself to the eye by
the formation of clouds, which is an in
termediate stage between vapor and
water.
The atmospheric disturbance outlined
is storm, and no sooner is it formed
than it begins to move eastward. All
well-developed storms in the United
States move from west to east, DETECTING
slightly to the north. This northward
detection is more noticeable in winter,
almost disappearing in summer. Oc-
casionally storms depart from their east
ward course and move directly north,
but as these are freaks, and of rare oc-
currence, they cannot be said to be more
than equivalent to railway train get
ting Off the track owing to some un-
natural condition of, or obstruction on,
the track, and can rarely be predicted,
but must be taken into consideration as
possible contingencies. Storms vary in
circumference and shape. In Europe
they are more nearly round than in
America, where they are of more ir-
regular, oval form. In size they vary
from diameter of few miles to those
that reach from the gulf to beyond the
lakes.
1t will be observed that there are two
points to be considered in predicting a
storm First, the position of the storm,
and second, its rate of progress. Every
reader of the Times will observe in this
and in all the preceding editions of this
paper atable of the general observations
made throughout the country BY
the signal service. 1t will be OBJ
served that these stations are
well distributed throughout the West.
Now, suppose q storm center formed
yesterday at Dodge City, Kan, it would
be visible in the table through the
barometer, rainfall, clouds, etc. Fol-
example, the barometer falling in such
an event would show, perhaps, $3.50;
the thermometer would indicate a high
| temperature; the weather would be
cloudy, and, perhaps; more or less rain.
| fall would be reported. We would have
an incipient storm, the extent of which,
however, it is too early to predict. An
other days reading of the table will
probably show that there is low bar.
| ometer and that a storm prevails NJ
Leavenworth; high barometer is OBJ.
served at Des Moines and Las Animas
| points in front of and behind the storm
that is to say, the area of low barometer,
/ or the storm center, would be at Leaven.
worth, while the area of high barometer
4 which, as shown, always surrounds 9
storm, would be at Des Moines in front
| at Las Animas in the rear, and, perhaps,
/ at st. Paul on the north and Little Rock
| on the south. Another day would ad
| vance the storm center to Chicago, carry.
ing forward the surrounding high bar.
ometer on its circumference. Thence il
would move forward, perhaps to the
| Atlantic, and possibly across the ocean.
These statements-andt they seem almost
incredible to the uninformed-are moi
only statements of facts which are daily
demonstrated, but are susceptible of test
Anyone who knows there is q storm al
Dodge City, that it will, in all probabili
ty, move eastward at the rate of, say,
twenty-five miles an hour, and knows
his own distance from Dodge City, can
| predict the arrival of the storm Just a
the arrival of friend coming east on 8
train at Dodge City, though of course
not so conclusively. Or again, the storm
is moving eastward from Dodge City al
the rate Of twenty-five miles an hour; in
twenty-four hours it will be six hundred
miles farther east; in two days, twelve
hundred, and so on. As has been said
| there are conditions which affect the