Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-21

To the Editor Of The EVENING STAR.
The weather-map is q record OF meteorological
facts. We have no power over the forces OF ma
ture to change these facts; they are inexorable
Still there is some satisfaction In studying the
cause OF the effect even though the effect may
have been very disastrous to the welfare Of man
and beast We may in some cas-s protect our
selves against the severity OF these attacks OF ma
ture, but TO think or regulating curtailing the
forces that produce the terrible eject Is most alb
surd. Under date OF January Id. 1881 the press
reports severe "blizzard" throughout the West
commencing on the 18th and continuing TO the
l4th inst rhe morning OF the 18th at ~; Paul is
reported very nne. The storm began there on
the AFTERNOON OF the llth, and by ) O'Clock the
thermometer was l5o below zero.
This "oliZZard" WAS nne meteorological study.
To the student OF the map it was no surprise for
he saw by the movements and JuxIapostion OF the
"highs" and flows, even by the 10th, that the
storm was Indicated ON the 10 h the map stood;
the old slow" passing the Great Lake Region, with
nothing On the L. So less than 30 3, pressure TO
This north .low" and relatively southern s.high,
made The tne weather, spoken OF, ON the frst nalf
BY afternoon this Slow had moved farther AWAY.
and the "lighr was rushing In upon It's TRAIL con-
verting what moisture there was ready TO precipl-
tate into fine snow. January IL, slow" had
travelled rapidly; the center was near the mouth
OF the 81. Lawrence; 30. ." "high" was over Min
neSota; at Fort Totten the temperature was 400
below zero. A new slow appeared IN the north
west, bringing more storm with It. which locally
made IL appear like one anu the same storm as the
preceding SLOW" January II, "highr 81 very
'hig h 1centred north OF Lake Erie The new slow
travelled rapidly, and In southeast direction, car
rying snow with IL January L. continued rapid
movement OF SLOW, FIRST east and then northeast;
a new singh" IN the northw right oehind It.
January Ii, the air so cold from these "highs'
the precipitation takes tine form OF snow. This
slow" followed the general line or the preceding
one, and on the 18th was central In the northeaA:
but at the center IL was only 30. A 80 o" s.hlgh"
conferred over Nebraska and Indian Territory with
SUFFICIENT moisture in the air 10 carry snow lar
south as the GuIf or Mexico. This does not often
happen, but Will always happen with this condi-
ton and relation OF ''high" and iowa ..low"
sufficiently near 10 give the precipitation and the
near high" 70 give the low temperature: By The
map It win be seen that the isoinermal lines the
while ran southwest and northeast, for the
reason that the slows" passed on or out the st.
Lawrence Valley, with ''high" TO the westward and
soutnard. When We bear in mind that singh" Is
q cold factor, and that "low" Is warm OF cold.
according TO It's latitude, and that the slow" even
was in Intensity, quite high, It was no wonder
that they had a terrible and protracIed 'bizzard"
out West, and that II extended far TO the South.
So much singh" will always give q cold charac.
ter 70 the storm, while the nerce wind viii be the
result OF the intense character OF these two fac
tors 'high" and SLOW" LPN
WAsAINGroN, D. c., January 10 1853