Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-31
The WEATHER.

| Sergeant Barwick says: The equatorial
| current that has been holding high carnival
with the elements for the last six days gave
away at last, yesterday, to the polar current
! The latter, being cooler than the former, has
tendency to sink towards the esrth's sur.
face, and, displacing the warmer equatorial
current, also forcing it up to higher eleva.
ton these currents coming in FRACTIONAL con.
tact with each other, the one being cold and
the other moist, the former suddenly con-
denses the moisture in the latter, giving us
rain with north wind or polar current. The
rainfall for the storm was 76 inches The
rain commenced on the 18th, and for that
day gave .35 Of an inch for the 26-h, 80 of
an inch for the 9th, AS of an inch for the
2Sth, IL of an inch; for the 29th, AS of an
inch. and for the 80 h, SO If su inch-a
total, az above, of 2 76 inches the rainfall
on the 5 IN and Sth of the month, 81 Of an
inch, making grand total of 8. 43 inches for
the month, which is within a quarter of an
inch Of the average January precipitation for
the last 50 years. The seasons rainfall to
date is $50 inches, as against 9 rs inches
this time last year, 7.S7 inches TOR 1882,
is inches for 1851. 7.9S inches for 1S79-S0,
; inches for 1883, and p 80 inches for
1S77-S.
THE last dry season gave total of 500
inches. Measured up to January 81, 1877, 8 %
inches, or more than we have at present. On
the other hand, the season of 1873 70 up to
January 81, 1879. gave but FIVE inches, while
for that season as much as 17.S5 inches was
precipitated, which shows that there is no
telling what may or may not come after Jan
ury. The rainfall during the present storm
was for Red Bluff, 2 y inches Sacramento,
76 inches; San Francisco, 8 % inches,
and Los Angeles 2.31 inches. The tempera-
ture, wind and weather at u yesterday
was: For Olympus, So, calm and cloudy /;
Portland, 49, calm and cloudy; + ort Candy,
39', east and cloudy; Roseburg, As, south
west and clear Red Bluff, 49', northwest
and cloudy; Sacramento, 4S', northwest
aud light rain San Francisco. 49,, north and
light rain Los Angeles, 61', south and
clear: Salt Lake. 46', southeast and fair /;
Cheyenne, 33', west and clear Denver, 81,
southwest and clear North Platte, AZ, west
and clear. No report from Omaha. Ysnkton,
2ls. west and clear.
Il append a letter recently received from
General John Bidwell:
CHICO, January &C. 1884.
James A Barwick, Sergeant United States Signal
Service Corps, United States ARMY Sacramento,
Cal-Dear Sir Your letter of this date is before
me- In regard to the rainfall of ls50-l, | am de-
cidedly of the opinion that Al inches is small for
this part Of the Sacramento valley; because know
there fine and even quite heavy rains in March
and April The little grain sown was good. The fall Of
1850 was dry, | think. You say, 81 see by your
port that the season of 1890 must have been eX
Ceedingly dry" | meant to say 1S4O-l for FOUND
there had been no harvest upon my arrival in Cali
fornia, in the fall Of 1871. Therefore it was but
three years to 1851, the next dry year. which was
l think the dryest of all the years have seen. In
regard to my belief, which you ask, will say
no weather prophet-in attempting to divine the
seasons, have failed too often. Am unwilling 10 be-
leve that inches Of rain, after the dry winter
year ago, will give good crops in Sacramento county
The seven and six years theory OF dry 4sons with
some exceptions, is rather striking, and must be
more so if future observations shall coincide. But
all my interests and hopes that this year may be
numbered among the exceptions. lam, with much
respect, very truly yours, JOHN BIDWELL.