Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-18
OUR CLIMATE
COMPARED WITH FAMOUS WIN.
TER RESORTS OF EUROPE,
of the Golden State-Interest-
ing Meteorological Data.

EDS. RECORD UNION: Noticing in the
November 1SS7) number of Haper's Nag
d=ine an article on the Winter Climatic
Resorts OF Three Continents" by William
Smith Brown, and observing that he speaks
rather disparagingly of California, con-
cluded to see if the recorded evidences of
climatic uniformity could not be proved in
Brown dwells on the fact of the health and
winter resorts of the Riviera of Italy. He
SAYS: "All of these places offer great
many inducements to travellers in search
of health-ease of access, good hotels, board
lighthouses and villas, good English-speak-
ing physicians, IN fact English is spoken
almost everywhere), good shops, plenty of
society and variety of diversion. But in
all these places the invalid will find dis
comforts and causes for apprehension,
which the we'll and full blooded may not
encounter"
Now, Mr.. Editor, why should the English
speaking American 90 to the Riviera of
Italy for health or recreation, and to find
English spoken by nearly every one"
when a far superior climate can be found
OF the Pacific shores of our own free and
independent country, where English Is
spoken, and the customs, habits and ideas,
both social and political, are the same; and,
too. the trip across our own continent is by
no means tiresome one, when 1t can be
taken in easy stages and surrounded by all
the comforts that the invalids may be &C
customed to at home.
In speaking of California. Mr.. Brown says:
"In summer the climate of California is
hot and dry away from San Francisco and
other windy and variable locations. In
winter it is very rainy and damp Now,
if Mr.. Brown will speEd one winter on this
coast he will find our climate is not so
damp and chilly as is that of the great
Riviera of Italy and other places he men
tons, while the heated atmosphere of the
interior is not oppressive on account of lis
dryness AS for being windy he must not
take San Francisco for sample. Then,
too, he must not look upon San Francisco
as a health resort. for it is the most trying
climate for throat troubles on the Califo1-
MIA coast, and is also very windy.
Speaking of our health or winter resorts,
l will mention but three, viz San Diego,
Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, and, as
| wind is AN objection that Mr.. Brown puts
| forth, | will give from the Chief Signal
Officers report for 1885 the average yearly
| velocity at San Diego and Los Angeles.
| The latter place has, on an average, as de-
duced from seven years observation, Tor
| each month, been as follows: Beginning
| with January, it was 81 miles per hour;
February, 6 miles; March, 5.5; April, 8 s.;
May, 54; June, 5 2; July, As; August, 40;
| September, Al; October, As; November,
n. = 4 mil 1r
erage, 81 miles per hour. The average
yearly velocity is As, 1908 miles, giving a
monthly average of 3,774 = miles. The
highest monthly average was 4 ,276.4 miles
| in January, and the least monthly average,
3,36S.1 miles, in September.
San Diego has an average hourly velocity
for each month as follows: January, 81
miles; February, 81; March, 6.5; April, SIS;
MAY, 81; June, ga; July, ga; August, 81;
September; 6; October, So; November, 5,
and December, 81 miles. Annual average
hourly velocity, 6 miles. Average yearly
velocity, 1926 miles, giving monthly
average of 1906 miles. Greatest average
monthly velocity, 4.954S miles, in May !;
least, 3,S30.S miles, in December.
To show how much more windy San
Francisco is than either of the two above
named places, and that it should not be
taken as criterion of California winter
or summer resort, the total average yearly
velocity of that place is S2,09l.6 miles, with
an annual average CT 9.3 miles per hour.
This is quite difference when compared
with either Los Angeles or San Diego.
The observer at Santa Barbara not hav-
ing an thermometer, the figures for that
place cannot be given, but few words
from Hugh d. Vail, the Observer, will not
be anliss in this article. He says: For
the information of such as would like to
come here, and are kept away by the re-
port IN Harper s>afdgdzine that Santa Bar
bara is a windy place, with frequent
dust storms, and also subject to fogs, it
may be well to admit that we do have dust
storms in summer like all other places in
Southern California, as well as fogs. The
dust storms are not frequent, but of rare
occurrence, and owing to our sheltered po-
stion, less violent than elsewhere. Five
in year would probably exceed the aver
age, only one having occurred this year,
since July, 1887. Fogs, except on the
ocean, can hardly be said to be common in
any season. The nearness of the Santa
Yuez range to the coast creates an up
ward current of air which generally carries
the fog, when there is any, far above the
earth and lodges it near the summit of the
mountains. From there it not infrequently
extends out like canopy, cover
ing half the sky. 1t is the
custom here to call these fogs,
but they have little or no effect upon the
surface of the groun /. The grass and
leaves remain dry, and were the mountains
not in the background, would be seen only
as ordinary clouds Our real fogs, those on
the surface, occur mainly al night some
times flowing in from the Pacific Ocean
about sunset and disappearing soon after
sunrise in the morning, but more fire.
quently rising late in the evening and dis
appearing again so early in the morning
that few persons would know of there hav-
ing been were it not for the moisture they
deposit But so far as this place being
windy, as asserted, it is, we believe, not
only the least so of any part of California,
but will in that respect compare tavorably
with any other place in the mort en- hem
isphere. The strong winds that prevail so
generally along the Pacific coast are here
almost quite unknown. Even stiff
breeze, except during storm, is of rare oc-
currence.
To prove 10 your many and intelligent
readers the equibility and uniformity of the
climate of Santa Barbara, San Diego and
Los Angeles, as compared with Mentone
and San Reno of the Riviera of Italy
and of Corfu, append the monthly tenn
perature for each place. Please notice a
much warmer temperature in winter at the
California stations, and also a much cooler
summer temperature at the same places
than at any of the foreign places, except
Corfu. The table speaks with more en-
phasis and certainty than | can, and is as
follows:
nj &C -s x 81 %