Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-17
A STUDY OF COLD WAVES.

The Results Of Signal Service ON.
Waves Come from and How they
Travel Across the Country.
The results of preliminary study of "Cold
Waves and Their Progress by First Lieutenant
Thomas NJ. Woodruff, 9Th infantry, acting Sig
nal officer, has been issued in the series OF Sig
nal service notes. "Cold Waves are defined as
sudden changes from a higher to a lower tenn
perature, which seem to be Independent of the
time of day and of the season of the year and
have an extended progressive movement across
the country.
In various investigations and studies, Lieut..
Woodruff says, it has been shown that fall of
temperature succeeds or follows an area of low
barometer, and rise precedes such an area;
and that in general the reverse is true of an
area OF high barometer, viz: that fall precedes
and a rise follows it. We should then, perhaps,
have these questions asked: Il the cold the
effect of an area of high barometer. or is the
area OF high barometer due to decrease of tenn
peraturee The solution of these questions
would, the writer says, make the study quite
cold these
but accepting the two general conclusions
above given, Lieut.. Woodruff passes to the
| charts of the U. S. signal service foA the years
1881. 1882, 1888 and 1884, and the months of
January to June, inclusive.
THE DIRECTION OF COLD WAVES.
In various studies upon the origin and move
ments of areas OF high and low barometer, the
lieutenant says, it has been shown generally
that they move almost invariably across the
United States from west to east. The deter
mfnation of the movement of the area of low
barometer largely determines the movement of
in nlgn now most ST. OF me areas OF
the Rocky mountains, and as these areas move
eastwardly the high moves In, and we have
tensity. Even if the low area pursue an abnor-
NAL track the circulation of the winds about
the high and low is such as to produce almost
invariably decided fall in temperature. it the
low be eastward of the high. An inspection of
the charts referred to shows that during the
mo non rs named there We're 81 cold waves. in
me cold waves are most frequent in the first
three months of each year; and the month of
January has more than any other month. No
cold wave is noted in this enumeration unless
| it produced an abnormal change of 15 degrees
or more in its passage over the selected stations
which were as follows Helena, Montana: Bis
marck, Dakota; Saint Paul, Minnesota; Omaha
Nebraska; Chicago, Illinois; Saint Louis, Mis-
souri,; Shreveport, Louisiana: Galveston Texas
Nashville, Tennessee: Buffalo. New York: New
Orleans, Louisiana; Jacksonville, Florida; Bos-
ton, Massachusetts, and Washington, ID. e.
WHERE THEY COME FROM.
Aboute fifteen per cent of the cold waves
observed come from the Pacific coast and
eighty-ffve per cent originated east of the
Rocky mountains, Or came down the east side
of these mountains from the British northwest
territory. All of the cold waves traced out
first at Helena, Mont, except five, which
five were felt at Bismarck, OAK, before being
felt at Helena; and we must conclude, says Lieut..
Woodruff, that they have their origin in the
vast regions of ice and snow near the Arctic
circle, far to the north of the observing stations
With respect to the time of day of the appear
ance OF cold waves in the northwest, il Is found
that there is no absolute rule, and that they are
quite independent OF the diurnal changes of
and night. Forty made their first appearance
upon the p. m. washington time) tempera-
ture charts, which in the northwest cores
ponds to about the warmest part of the day,
and ten first appeared upon the i p. m. charts
THEIR PROGRESSIVE MOTION.
In respect to their progressive motion, Lieut..
Woodruff divides cold waves into three classes
OF the 80 observed % belonged to the first class
or to those that move directly across the coun-
try from west to east, and which follow an al
most invarIable path along the chain of great
lakes and across New Eng land and do not ex-
tend to the states south of the Ohio river To
the second class-those which move in a south
easterly direction and cover the entire country
in their prOgress-he assigns az out of the So;
and he assigns 10 to the third claSs-those
which move sOutherly from Montana and
Dakota to Texas, thence through the gulf
states, and then northeastery over the Atlantic
coast states. 1t sometimes occurs with the
third class that the cold wave is first felt at ST.
Louis and Shreveport before being felt at st.
Paul and Chicago, and that then the cold wave
takes the general movement eastward Of the
second class.
The rate of progress was very variable. Con-
sidering Helena the first point of observa-
ton there was one case in which the cold wave
travelled from that point to Washington in I6
hours, Z in 4s hours, s in SO hours, s in 81
hours, 5 in q hours, in so hours, in SS hours,
and in So hours Forty-siS per cent reach
Washington from Helena inside of 40 hours.
FREAKS OF COLD WAVES.
In commenting upon results and influences
of cold waves, Lieut.. Woodruff says: 1t often
happens that a cold wave sets in from the ex-
treme northwest, and upon reaching the Mis-
| sissippi valley divides, part going northeast
part southwark to the Gulf states, in either
case the intensity appears TO be greatly d min
ished. This action seems gener lily to be due to
the sudden development OF sto m somewhere
in the southern part of the Missouri valley.
Sometimes storm OF slight energy remains in
Kansas, Missouri and Indian Territory, and
| has the effect OF relarding, or even totally de-
| stroying, a cold wave Again, when q cold
wave is retarded in this way it seems often TO
gather force and intensity, and rush rapidly
forward, and spread over the entire country.
Another frequent feature is that after a cold
wave commences the temperature continues to
fall in the northwest, and another wave is
formed entirely distinct from the first, from
which it becomes separated by warm Wave;
the warm wave Is only narrow belt, but the
cold waves are perfectly distinct.
PREDICTION.
With respect to the prediction of the approach
and progress of coal waves, it is impossible as
yet to give set rules. One great difficulty is
found in the tact that even after decided cold
wave is observed in the extreme northwest, we
are not able to determine which one of the three
paths it will take. A fall of temperature OF 800
or 400 at Bismarck or at st. Paul, does not in
dictate "norther" in Texas; neither does a fall
OF 300 or $50 at LeavenwOrth or ST. Louis; nor
does similar fall at st. Paul or Chicago neces-
Sarily bring ilcOld wave to Washington. An
other great difficulty is that eight hours inter-
vene between observations at the signal service
stations and likewise between the report to the
office in Washington.
Mr.. Wiman's Banquet to MI. Garrett.
AN ELABORATE WELCOME OF THE BALTIMORE
AND OHIO RAILROAD TO STATEN ISLAND.
Mr.. Erastus Wiman's banquet to Mr.. Robert
Garrett. president Of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad, took place in the Pavilion hotel, New
Brighton, Staten Island, last night. The ban
quet was given to commemorate Mr.. CARROTS
securing an entrance to New York for his road
by way of Staten Island. The tables, decorated
,f,,hi of M