River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-05-11
TORNADOES.
A Meteorological study

Gen Hazen, the chief signal officer.
is paying a good deal of attention to
the subject of tornadoes, with view
of obtaining so clear knowledge OF
this class of storms that some of their
evils may be mitigated. All who live
in regions that are liable to be visited
by these destructive winds viii be in
terested to know that Sergt. Finley is
about to start out to investigate the
track of the storms which swept over
Michigan, Iowa, and Illinois ON the b
inst. Sergt. Finley has done some very
valuable work in this line. Last year
the signal service issued as one of its
papers an important monograph on
the character Of the storms of May 20
and June 80, 1879 The papcrN -ery
elaborate, and there is now in D. ess
another effort by the same writer,
which contains tabulated statemeMl
of 600 tornadoes ard some generaliza-
ton from their facts, with suggestions
as to the method to be persued in the
investigation of storms. The 600 storms
cover a period of 81 years, and the
whole country. Their examination
leads to the conclusion that tornadoes
occur chiefly in the month of June.
They have occurred, however, more fire.
quently in April than in May and Sept
ember than in August.
Kansas has been most aff1 icted, and
notwithstanding the fact that the period
during which tornadoes have visited it
has been comparatively short. The
state has had 81 tornadoes from 1859 to
1881. Illinois has had "a from 1854 to
1881. Missouri has mad A from 1914 to
1881. New York has had 80 from 1881
to 1881; Georgia, SO from 1904 to 1881
Iowa, 81 from 1854 to 1881; INDIANA,
"a from 1852 to 1880; Ohio, % from
1928 to 1871. The states and territor-
les that have had only one each from
1894 to 1881 are Colorado, California,
Indian Territory, Nevada, New Mexico,
Montana, Rhode Island. West Virginia,
and Wyoming. The storms generally
occur between and o'clock in the
evening, although there is no hour in
the day that has been entirely free
from them. The average wild h of the
path of destruction is 1880 feet. The
storm-cloud rams with velocity of
from twelve to sixty miles. The wind
within the vortex sometimes attains a
velocity of so miles an hour, the aver
age velocity being 1872 miles. Among
the most valuable suggestions of the
paper are those with reference to the
peculiarly of the movements of tor
nado clouds, containing rules for arriv-
ing at their violence. A tornado cloud
always has center, and it always moves
forward from west to east. 1t may,
however, sway from side to side in its
progressive movement. Changes in
motion are sometimes very sudden. In
the event of sudden change, the OBJ
server who is east or south of east of
the storm should move quickly to the
south. If he is northeast he should
move to the north. If within very
short distance of the cloud, the observ-
er should run east bearing to the south.
This indicates the character of the di-
rections which have been given for the
avoidance of the disastrous effect of
storms. The examination tina. Sergt.
Finley will make of the recent storm
will be very thorough, and Gen. Hazen
expects that it will add greatly to the
knowledge of tornadoes.