Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-02-23
OUR WEATHER PROPHETS.

the signal service. In order to Sc
cure accurate, observations taken by
over two hundred observers located
in different parts of the United States,
it was decided by Congress to make
these observers amenable to military
discipline by enlisting them in the
signal corps of the army. Three
times daily, at intervals of eight
hours, is he noting the reading of
his instruments First, the weight of
the elastic force of the atmosphere as
shown by the barometer second, the
relative humidity or per cent of mois-
ture contained in the air, as deter
mined by the hygrometer third, the
velocity, force and direction of the
wind, as per thermometer and lastly,
| the kind. amount and direction of
the clouds, and amount of rainfall.
These observation offices are distrib-
uted over every section of the coun-
try from Florida to Oregon. They
record their observations at exactly
the same moment Washington
time), Therefore when received at
headquarters and their facts and fg-
ures chartered upon a map of the
United States, the chart becomes
simple photograph of the condition
existing in the atmosphere at that
moment. 1t is from this chart that
the predictions for the following day
are made. By drawing a line con-
Meeting all stations of the same bar
ometic pressure the area of the lowest
barometer is easily located Moist
air being lighter than dry, the center
Of low barometer becomes the storm
center. The center has no wind di-
rection geographically, the atmos-
phere moving with rotary motion
upward and the surrounding air be-
ing drawn toward the center. The
winds always blow from heavy at
mospheric pressure toward the point
of least resistance, moving splrally
inward toward the storm-center.
The low area is usually several
hundred miles in extent. When the
storm is stationary its form is near
ly circular, but when moving east
ward its sides are depressed until it
becomes an oval, the depression be-
ing proportionate with its velocity.
Twenty-four hours is the average
time required for storm to travel
from the Mississippi river to New
York, and nearly the same time from
New York to Newfoundland.
1t is the accuracy of these records
that has enabled the United States
to take the first place among all ma
tions in the progress made in the
science of meteorology; and it is the
study of them that enables the indi-
cation officer of the signal service to
| detect the formation of storm in its
incipiency and to foretell the path it
will travel and give warning accord
ingly.
The course of storms is universally
! eastward. No storm of the Pacific
| coast ever reaches us, as, in crossing
successively the several ranges of
mountains intervening, the atmos-
phere is forced up to such an eleva-
/! ton that all moisture is condensed
by cold and it descends the eastern
slope of the Rocky mountains a per-
fectly dry air; indeed, so void of all
humidity that hunters cure fresh
meat in the middle of summer by sim
ply hanging it on the limbs of trees,
and the region for hundred miles
east is barren waste.
Many of our severest storms form
in the region just west of the Missis-
sippi river, pass eastward off the At
lantic coast, augmentlng in force as
they cross the ocean, continue their
course over Europe until dissipated
by encountering some range of noun
tains. Between July and October
the United States is usually visited
by from one to three heavy storms.
which come up from the West Indies,
crossing the extreme Southern States
in northeasterly direction, and then
following up the coast violent gales
always attend. 1t is claimed that
millions of dollars are annually saved
to shipping interests of the Atlantic
ports by means of the warnings dis
played by the signal service several
hours in advance of these storing.
A cold wave is an immense river
of air flowing from the Arctic regions
southwark through British America,
and entering the United States be-
tween the Rocky mountains and the
Great Lakes, when it spreads out
East and South. 1t always comes
from the same direction, and usually
takes about twenty-four hours to
travel from st. Paul, Mimi, to New
York and Washington. AS the cold
waves come from the Northwest it
would be natural to suppose that the
warm waves come from the equatori-
al regions. But such is not the case.
They also come from the Northwest.
Every few years some person sud-
denly gains notoriety as weather
prophet by predicting snow or rain
several months in advance. They |
usually claim that their predictions
are based upon some astronomical in
fuence. The claim that there is any |
authority for such prediction is dis
puted by the best authority. Rely |