West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1886-02-26
COZ ID WAVES.
riN rtcsr~ss al cuddcn Changes from I.
HiGhci 60 Ly~cr Temperature,

! Cold Waves and their Progress, by
| First Lieutenant Thomas NJ Woodruff
Fifth infantry, acting signal officer. has
boon issued in the series of signal-~er-
vico notes. "Cold waves" are defined
as change, from n higher to lower
temperature, which seem to bo indie
pendent of the time Of day and of the
season of the year and have an extend
ed progressive movement across tho
country.
In various Investigations and studies,
Lieutenant Woodruff says II has been
| shown that 4 fall of temperature sue
CeedS OF follows an area of low barou-
oter, and a rise prcccdcs such an area,
aud that IN general the reverse is true
of an area of high barometer, viz. that
a fall prcCodcS aud rise follows IT,
We should then. perhaps. have these
| questions asked l. the cold the effect
oi an area of high barometer. or is the
area of high barometer due to decrease
| of tCmpCrRtuCp The solution of these
| questions would, the writer says. make
the study quite simple and give very
safe way of predicting cold waves Not
answering these questions, but accept
lug the two general conclusions above
| given, Lieutenant Woodruff passes to
| the facts presented upon the tri-dailN
| temperature charts of the United Statcs
signal service for the years 1881. 1882,
| 1898 and 1884, aud the months OF Jan
unry to Juno inclusive
In various studies upon the origin
| and movements of areas of high and
low barOmctrr the Lieutenant SAYS IL
has been shown generally that they
move almost invariably across the
| United States from west to east. The
determination of tho movement of the
barometer largely determines the move
| meni Ot the following high Now most
of the areas OF low barometer are
formed IN the region OF the Rocky
Mountains, aud as these areas move
castwardly the high moves in and we
have accompanying cold wavc of
more on less intensity. Even il the low
area pursue au abnormal track the cir
| culatUn Of the winds about the high
and low u such as to- produce almost
invariably decided fall i'm tumpcra
turo If the low be eastward oI the high.
An Inspection of the charts referred TO
shows that during the months named
| there were twenty zone cold waves in
| 1891, twenty in 1882, twenty-siN i'm 1888
and twcnty-one in 1884 The cold
waves are most frequent in the liisl
three months Of each year, aud the
month Of January has more than any
| month. No cold wave is noted i'm this
enumeration unless IL produced an ab.
normal change ~ fifteen degrees or
more IN its passage over the selected
stations which were rs follows Helena,
Mont Bismarck, ID. r.; St Paul,
Mimi, Omaha, Ncb. Chicago, H..
| ST. Louis, Mo; Shreveport, Lu.: Gal
weston. ToH. Nashville, Tenn. Buffalo,
| NY; New Orleans, La Jacksonville,
| Fla. Boston. Mass, and Washington,
| ID. G.
About fifteen per cent Of the cold
waves observed come from the Pacific
coast aud cighty-ivc per cent origi-
mated east OF The Rocky mountains, or
came down the east side Of these mount
aims from the British Northwest Terri
| tory. All of the cold waves traced out
| during these six months i'm each year,
| appeared first at Helena, Mont, except
| five which five were felt 40 Bismarck.
| -. r., before being felt at Helena; and
we must conclude. says Lieutenant
Woodruff that they have their origin
In the vast regions of ice aud snow
near the Arctic circle, far 10 the north
of the observing stations With re-
| spect TO the time OF day of the appear
auce Of cold waves i'm the Northwest,
| IL is found that there is no absolute rule
and that they are quite independent
| Of the diurnal changes OF temperature
| due 20 the alienation Of day and night.
| Forty made their first appearance upon
the three p. M Washington time)
| temperature charts, which in the North
| west corresponds tO about the warncst
| part OF the day, and ten first appeared
! upon the eleven p. m. charts.
In respect TO their progressive mo-
ton Lieutenant Woodruff divides cold
waves into three classes OF the
/ cighty-eight observed twenty-five be-
longed 10 the first class on to those that
move directly across Che country from
west to east. and which follow an al
most invariable path along the chain
Of great lakes and across New England
and do not extend 20 the States south
Of the Ohio river 10 the second class
those which move in sOuthcHsterly
direction and cover the entire country
in their prOgress--he assigns forty
seven ont Of fhc eighty eight and he as.
signs nineteen 20 tho third class those
which move southeTly from Montana
and Dakota 20 Texas. thence through
the Gulf States. and then nOrthpa-terly
over the Atlantic coast States II
sometimes occur with the third class
that The cold wave i- first folt AZ St
Louis aud Shreveport before being felt
at st Paul and Chicago, and that then
the cold wave takes the general move
ment eastward ~ the second class
In commenting upon results and I'M
nueuce- Df cold waves. Lieutenant
Woodruff says ~ often happens that p
| cold wave sets iu from the cAtreme
/ Northwest. and upon reaching the
/ Mississippi River divides, part going
/ northeastorly 90 the lower lake region,
and the other part sOuthward 10 the
/ Gulf States. in either case the intensity
/ appears 10 be greatly diminished. This
I action seems generally 10 bc due IN the
/ sudden Development of storm some
whore In the southern part Of the Mis-
soUrj Valley Sometime storm ~
sIight enorHy remains in Kansas, Mis-.
sour and Indian Territory. and has the
/ fleet ~ retarding. or even totally de-
! strOyDg = cold wave Again when =
/ cold wave b. retarded i'm this WAY 10
/ seems often 20 gather force and in
| tensit, and rush rapidly forward anC
spread over fh, entire country