The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-18
NEARLY TWO INCHES OF RAIN.
The Weather Making Up for Itself
The Signal Bureaus Forecasts

The Signal Bureaus Forecasts
The heaviest rain that has fallen in Savan-
nah within the last two months fell yester-
day. The rainfall for the day up to s
o'clock last night was 1.SO inches. 1t began
to rain here Sunday night The heaviest
fall reported in this district was 10 inches
at Live Oak. Jesup reported rainfall Of
1.95 inches Savannah reported the third
| heaviest rainfall.
The rain extended no farther west on the
| Central railroad than Eden. No rain was
reported at Bainbridge and Smithyille.
Very light showers fell at AlaDaha and
| Albany. Jacksonville reported a rainfall
of 40 inches and Charleston &c Of an inch.
The average rainfall for the Savannah dis
| trict was "a of an inch.
The following order was received from
/ the signal bureau at Washington, ID. c., at
1l:3O o'clock yesterday morning.
Hoist cautionary southeast signal, Savannah
| and Savannah section Storm in eastern gulf,
moving northeast. Expect westerly gales, with
| heavy rain. Also ordered at Jacksonville and
Jacksonville section.
The storm is moving up the coast. The
| reports at the signal office at o'clock last
night, show that the storm is to the south
of Jacksonville, moving east, northeast. 1t
| will move up the Atlantic coast and passed
| Savannah last night, when the greatest
wind velocity was reached. The velocity
did not exceed, however, thirty to thirty
| five miles per hour. The barometer at
Jacksonville reached 295S. At Savannah
it was 1880 The wires are down at
Titusville and Point Jupiter, Fla,
and no report was received from those
stations last night. The intensity of the
storm has not, SO far, exceeded over thirty
five miles an hour at Cedar Keys The
wind there was from northeast. A storm
is advancing over the northwest toward
the great lakes, and the barometer is very
low.
The temperature throughout almost the en-
tire west is high. Throughout the Mississippi
valley, where light showers fell yesterday,
the thermometer registered unusually high.
The indications for to-day are that the rain
of the morning will be followed by winds
and clearing weather.
Local predictions by the observer at
Savannah have been ordered by the
chief signal officer at Washington.
Observer Won Hermann will begin
his representations July l. These
predictions will be for the different dis
tricts A forecast of the weather will lie
made by each observer who has received
the order for his own district. The predic-
tons will be published the morning of each
day. This is an advance step in the signal
service, and one that is going to be appre-
ciated, a prominent business man said
yesterday.
Until two weeks ago nothing but general
predictions were made by the bureau. This
was superseded by an order to forecast the
weather for each state. This was consid-
cred good move. It was of general
character, however, so far as the districts
were concerned. The prediction for the
state might have been verified in but few,
and, perhaps a single district, SO that
it was still important to particularize, and
the order to each observer in the different
district to make forecasts, it is thought will
be a popular one. The order states that
the general forecasts, as telegraphed from
the chief office, must necessarily be brief,
and are now confined to simple statement
of what is likely to occur over the
greater part of an extensive
area of country, neglecting necessarily local
peculiarities of climate. There is no way
in which the degree of certainty properly
attached to the forecast can be conveyed in
the brief message now sent 1t has been
shown that no higher degree Of accuracy
than 80 per cent. can be obtained in giving
a synopsis of the existing weather for the
different states if confined to the limited
number of words now used in making the
forecasts.
The new order goes on to say that the
chief signal officer, with a view to further
extending the usefulness of the observa-
tions and of testing and stimulating the
professional knowledge of the observers he
has determined to authorize them to make
forecasts for their respective stations.
These forecasts will be made only by such
commissioned and non-commissioned
officers and privates as are specially named,
and under no circumstances will the
authority be delegated to another.
For the present the forecasts or prog
nostications given will be confined to an
expression of opinion as to whether or not
precipitation will occur during the follow
ing twenty-four hours. These predictions
are not by any means intended to replace
the general system of forecasts, but to
supplement them. At stations where suf-
ficient Geographic data are received to
give the observer q clear idea of the
meteorological conditions of the country,
he may explain to those seeking informa-
ton, the direction in which the storm
center has moved, the rain-area advanced
and in what manner the winds have
shifted during the past twelve or twenty
four hours
Signal Observer Won Hermann has made
unofficial predictions on several occasions
since he has been stationed here, and each
time they have been verified. An observer is
better fitted to make forecasts of weather
when he has become thoroughly familiar
with the conhguration of his district, and
the signal officers says that the longer he
remains at one station the better prepared
he is to make predictions