The Dickinson press., 1884-11-08
The Anomalous Summer.

Though the "harvest moon" has be-
gun to wane, the summer of 1884 has
up to yesterday tenaciously held sway
over almost every section of the country.
1t has from the beginning been a sea-
son marked by anomalies. On the Pa
cifc coast, where usually the summer
rains hardly suffice to wet the gauges,
the rainfall for last June was at some
points greater than ever known. At
one period it was relatively cold in the
torrid REGION of the Gulf of Mexico and
most unduly warm in the frigid North
west. Comparatively unfruitful in the
grand t%ornadoes, it was rich in local
transforms, though in the Southwest
It was a droughty season. In the all
important element of temperature its
development was equally eccentric, the
midsummer being characterized by
cool waves" surging down from the
eastern Rocky Mountain slopes; and
when the season, extraordinarily speak
ing, had closed, its powerful reserve
torce was displayed in the recent glow
ing warm waves" extendingfrom the
great plains to the Atlantic.
The meteorological reports for this
portion of the middle Atlantic seaboard
show that until the second week of
August the summer oflSS4 was remark
ably cool. The average heat of ,Jnna
was slightly below the usual figures for
the Middle States, and three degrees be-
low for all the Southern States and
Tennessee. The mean temperature at
New York for July was III deg.-the
lowest mean recorded here in thirteen
years. In Philadelphia the mean tenn
perature OF July. as given by the public
ledger, is Ills, which is also the lowest
recorded there for July within the
last thirteen years. The August returns
show that the thermal mean in Philadel-
phla and New York was also a little be-
low the average for that month.
On June Is the Herald prognostica-
lions for the summer stated that from
oil meteorological data now within reach
b probabilities are that the coming
summer will not be marked by excessive.
y high mean temperature "in the lake
districts, nor generally on the eastern
side OF the country north of the Caro-
llnas and Tennessee" The observations
already published prove that the latter
part OF this forecast has been fulfilled.
The premonitions which we gave the
public in June-that the "cool waves"
might be expected to occur till July Is,
and there was no need to rush to the
seaside and mountain resorts-were also
justified by the very conspicuous mid
summer GOODNESS. August rains were
by no means as copious and diffused as
those which fell in July in many por-
lions Of the country. Over a large area
OF the Northwest, in the Southwest and
in part of the Ohio Valley the August
drought was serious, though the farm
ers in some sections may find the old
adage true
Dry August and warm
Doth harvest no harm.
Within the arctic circle "the mid
night sun" has now lost his power, and
the forces Of congelation are getting in
to play. But the first effect of this
change is small in OUR ATTITUDES. The
probabilities now are that, with two or
three "cool waves" intervening, which
will cause frosts in the Northwest and
northern New England Out not so
heavy as those of last September), the
average temperature of the present
month will be higher than it usually is
in the sections east of the Mississippi
river. 1t is also probable that during
the next two or three weeks exception
ally heavy rainfalls will occur in the
Northwest and the upper Mississippi
and lower Missouri valleys, and rather
deficient precipitation on the Atlantic
seaboard, except in the event of the
passage of more than one hurricane
emerging from the tropics. In the abb
sence of distinct indications of these
much-dreaded ocean disturbances, it
seems premature to say anything def
mite as to when one of them may be
heard from. But, looking at the recent
exceptional meteorological changes on
the continent and the period of the year,
it is highly probable that a West Indian
cyclone will be reported by or before
the 10th inst.-New York Herald.