New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-11
applied to the purchase Of property consider
ably moro than their expenses.
4 REMARK ABLE WEATHER FLUCrUATIoY

4 REMARK ABLE WEATHER FLUCTUATION.
The recurrence Of severe cold within the last
few days, after n prolonged thaw, emphasizes q
curious if not prophetic, feature OF this season
weather Three remarkable temperature undu-
latjops quite distinct from the ordinary two-or-
three -day cold wave, have now been completed
and there is chance for supposing that 1ourth
has now begun. Each Of the series was from
twenty-four to twenty mine days in length Ihe
rhythm began Immediately after Thanksgiving
day, when, after notably mild autumn, the
mercury fell co degrees below the freezing
point up in Dakota. and an extensive area was
buried in snow This cold spell eliminated In
New-Yorl on December 1. Sergeant Dunns ther-
mometer on that morning registered Il degrees,
which was 55 degrees lower than its record few
DAYS before Nearly fortnight Of sustained and
abnormal warmth followed. The mean tempera-
ture for one whole day December III was l 0 de-
grees higher than the average of corresponding
DAYS for sixteen years previous After this the
weather grew wintry.
At the opening Of the second cycle something
more than the natural trend of the season was at
work December, as a whole, was fully de-
crces warmer than usual in New-fork City;
great variation. Yet the mean for ten consecu-
tive dSys at the close Of the month was more
than degrees below the normal for that part Of
P~Ne~N
came in the week after Christmas. 1t was about
this time. or a little earlier, that the Northwest
ern farmers were showed in for days thousands
Of cattle were lost, railroads were blockaded and
deaths by freezing were reported even from Texas
Tn Kansas a coal famine aggravated the general
su ffering at that time. The reaction especially
in the East, was rapid. In the metropolis the
mercury reached SO degrees on New Years day;
and between January and 10 almost vernal
mildness prevailed.
The third period began in the Northwest with
the memorable blizzard Of January 1918, In
which hundreds OF lives were lost, and tempera-
lures were officially recorded in Montana and
Dakota about so degrees lower than were expe-
rienced in the orange groves and vineyards OF
Central and Southern California, although the
latter region had the coolest weather known for
twenty years. In the East this boreal visitor
did not appear until January l g. The cold was
occasionally broken, but for the ensuing fort
night was steady 1t was at its worst between
January 20 and 30. The average temperature
in New-York for those ten consecutive days, &C
cording to Sergeant Dunn's figures, was 81 de-
crccs or IL degrees below the normal, and had
but one parallel lin January. 1886 for several
winters A thaw set in before the close of the
month out on the plains, and was soon noticeaoie
here. The ST. Louis ice gorge broke up January
81 and freshcts were threatened in various parts
Of the country during the early days of February.
For time zero weather unheard of even In
Dakota In New-York by far the highest mean
attained for any ten consecutive days since early
January was that of January 30-February 8,
which was 35 degrees IN excess of the normal.
The summit Of this curve was reached Sunday,
February o. and the cycle was ended when
Thursdays cold wave arrived
Modern authorities III meteOrology have recog-
nizcd the existence of a weather huctuauon eX-
tending over period nearly equal to a lunar
month"; although tie ancient and still popular
notion that these changes arc related 10 those OF
the moon is pretty thoroughly exploded. lhis
wonderful ground swell is not always well marked
At times it practically disappears 1t was well
defined two and three winters ago. though 1t died
out in the spring; but in neither season was 1t
more regular and decided than during the last
eleven weeks. Should it now last through an
other distinct vibration there should be generally
cold weather, with only short slight breaks I'M
til about February %, the most continuous OF 1t
occurring after the 9th of the month; and then,
before March arrives, there should be such re-
currence of warmth, rapidly developing and well
sustained, as will resemble II breakup OF winter,
though it may not prove such.